Henry Flynt
Henry Flynt
Henry Flyntis a philosopher, avant-garde musician, anti-art activist and exhibited artist often associated with Conceptual Art, Fluxus and Nihilism...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionArtist
CountryUnited States of America
new-york insecure artist
When I came to New York, I began to meet the people who became the most famous artists of our time. I was insecure about my own level of ability, I didn't know whether I could compete with these people and, at the same time. I was wondering what is this anyway?
new-york artist competing
When I began competing with the other artists in New York, I discovered classical North Indian music.
art taste saws
Basically, I viewed any work of art as an imposition of another person's taste, and saw the individual making this imposition as a kind of dictator.
fans lucidity great-fans
I'm actually a great fan of lucidity.
thinking artist class
At the same time, I was listening to black music, and I began to think that the best musicians were receiving the worst treatment. The people who were doing the greatest work were despised as lower class, with no dignity accorded to what they did.
intellectual events culture
I began demonstrating against serious culture. In hindsight, the actual course of events has been very humiliating for me, because no one picked up on the intellectual critique I made.
skulls mind open-mind
A fully open mind could shatter the skull in both directions.
backing-away utopian decided
Around 1967 I began backing away from dogmatic Leninism, not so much because I thought it was false, I just decided there was nothing utopian about it.
success congratulations rocks
Rock became an incredible commercial success, people just became bored with serious music, and it was forgotten.