Fluxus & Chaos: une histoire qui n'a pas d'importance
a story of no importance

alternate title: Fluxus International & Cº; Boîte-catalogue à surprise No. 15/100
(Fluxus International & Co. Surprise Catalogue Box No. 15/100)

Fluxus & Chaos: une histoire qui n'a pas d'importance
a story of no importance

alternate title: Fluxus International & Cº; Boîte-catalogue à surprise No. 15/100
(Fluxus International & Co. Surprise Catalogue Box No. 15/100)

Fluxus art movement; conceptual art; artist multiples; avant-garde

A boîte-catalogue à surprise (surprise catalogue-box) made for the "Espace lyonnais d'art contemporain" in Lyon, dated April 4, 1979. It is a cardboard box printed in blue. It is a rare, numbered Fluxus multiple, numbered 15 out of 100. The concept behind this box is, it enters the exhibition empty and then is filled with items throughout the course of the event. The handwritten "Nice 79" on the front indicates this particular box was associated with an exhibition in Nice. In fact, the items in this box were collected at an exhibition at Galerie D'Art Contemporain Des Musees De Nice (the Contemporary Art Gallery of the Museums of Nice, later in 1979). This was a well-documented 1979 exhibition, containing contributions from many of the movement's most important artists.

Table of Contents

Items listed in the manifest:
L'INCROYABLE SERIE DES NEUF JOURNAUX FLUXUS (REEDITION) (The incredible series of the nine Fluxus newspapers [reprint edition])
including:
1. cc V TRE (January 1964).
2. cc V TRE / Fluxus (February 1964) The second of The incredible series of the nine Fluxus newspapers.
3. cc V TRE / Fluxus (March 1964) The third of The incredible series of the nine Fluxus newspapers.
4. Fluxus cc fiVe ThRee (June 1964) The fourth of The incredible series of the nine Fluxus newspapers
5. Fluxus Vacuum TRapEzoid. Number 5 (March 1965) The fifth of The incredible series of the nine Fluxus newspapers.
6. Fluxus Vaudeville TouRnamEnt. Number 6 (July 1965) The sixth of The incredible series of the nine Fluxus newspapers.
7. Fluxus. Number 7 (February 1966) The seventh of The incredible series of the nine Fluxus newspapers.
8. Fluxus. Number 8 (May 1966) The eighth of The incredible series of the nine Fluxus newspapers.
9. John Yoko & Flux 1970 The nineth of The incredible series of the nine Fluxus newspapers.


UNE LETTRE INVENTAIRE DE GOERGE BRECHT (An inventory letter by George Brecht)

QUELQUES HARICOTS POUR ALLISON KNOWLES (Some beans for Alison Knowles)

UNE PORTE CLEF CONTENANT "CONTENU" DE SERGE III (A key ring containing "content" by Serge III)

UNE PARTITION MUSIQUE 11 "SOUFFLEZ ET TAPEZ" DE BEN (A musical score no. 11 "Blow and Tap" by Ben)

UNE FEUILLE DE MAGNOLIA POUR TAKAKO (A magnolia leaf for Takako) - Missing

UNE AFFICHE FLUXUS DE L'EXPOSITION DE LYON (A Fluxus poster from the Lyon exhibition)

UNE AFFICHE FLUXUS DE L'EXPOSITION DE NICE (A Fluxus poster from the Nice exhibition)

UN PRESERVATIF SPECIAL ARTISTE FLUXUS (A special Fluxus artist condom)

UN GALET UNIQUE DE LA PLAGE DE NICE (REPRODUCTION INTERDITE) (A unique pebble from the beach of Nice [reproduction forbidden])

UNE PARTITION DE GIUSEPPE CHIARI (A score by Giuseppe Chiari)

UN "ETCETERA" DE JUAN HIDALGO (An "etcetera" by Juan Hidalgo)

UNE COMPOSITION "PATERN" DE FLUXUS (A "Pattern" composition by Fluxus)

UNE BILLE QU'ON PEUT REGARDER ROULER DE GEORGE BRECHT (A marble one can watch roll, by George Brecht) - Missing

UN DESSOUS DE PLAT FUTUR TABLEAU PIEGE DE DANIEL SPOERRI (MANGEZ DESSUS) (A trivet, future trap-painting by Daniel Spoerri [eat on it])

UNE PARTITION POUR VOIR LE MONDE EN ROUGE DE SHIOMI (A score for seeing the world in red, by Shiomi)

LES 2.850.000.000 MICROBES CONTENUS DANS LA BOITE VIDE SONT DE M. ALOCCO (The 2,850,000,000 microbes contained in the empty box belong to M. Alocco)

UNE CIBLE POUR MILAN KNIZACK (A target for Milan Knizak)

UN DISQUE DE MUSIQUE TOTALE DE BEN (A total music record by Ben)

UNE PARTITION FROISSEE POUR KOSUGI (A DEFROISSER) (A crumpled score for Kosugi [to be unfolded])

UNE AMPOULE CONTENANT LE GRAND AIR DE L'OPERA DE NICE (A bulb containing the fresh air of the Nice Opera)

UN TROU AU TRAVERS DUQUEL VOUS POUVEZ VOIR LA PLEINE LUNE POUR WATTS (A hole through which you can see the full moon, for Watts)

UN DESSIN (VERITABLE ART FLUXUS) DE FRANCOIS ET EVA (A drawing [genuine Fluxus art] by François and Eva)

UNE CARTE A JOUER, CELLE QUE LE HASARD VOUS A DESIGNEE (A playing card, the one chance has assigned to you)

UNE FOURCHETTE EN PAPIER (A paper fork)

UN FEUTRE OU CRAYON FLUXUS DESSINANT FLUXUS (A Fluxus felt-tip or pencil drawing Fluxus)

Items that are not listed in the manifest:

Black Paper Square

A printed sheet bearing a typewritten/offset image of an empty film strip, with the caption "From Festival Non Art, Japan TOKYO."


A French enamel door or room number plaque.

Une Invitation Fluxus de l'exposition de Nice (Fluxus invitation for the Nice exhibition)

Carte Fluxus de l'exposition de Lyon (Fluxus cart for the Lyon exhibition)

Fluxus Cookie added by The Department of Art History Library at The University of Toronto in 2026, as per instructions:
ET PUISQUE TOUT EST MUSIQUE, TOUT EST PEINTURE, TOUT EST A FLUXUS, AJOUTEZ A CETTE BOITE VOTRE PROPRE PARTICIPATION. (And since everything is music, everything is painting, everything is Fluxus, add to this box your own participation.)

Espace Lyonnais D'art Contemporain (Lyonnais Contemporary Art Space);Collective Fluxus; George Maciunas

Fluxus International & Cº travelling exhibition, 1979

Espace lyonnais d'art contemporain (Lyon) / Galerie d'Art Contemporain des Musées de Nice

April 4, 1979 (Lyon); July–September 1979 (Nice)

Fluxus International & Cº; George Maciunas; George Brecht; Serge Oldenbourg; Ben Vautier; Daniel Spoerri; Mieko Shiomi; Milan Knizak; Giuseppe Chiari; François & Eva Vautier; Yoko Ono; Juan Hidalgo

Fluxus & Chaos exhibition, Espace lyonnais d'art contemporain, Lyon, April 1979; Fluxus International & Compagnie exhibition, Galerie d'Art Contemporain des Musées de Nice, July–September 1979

Cardboard box, 34 × 27.5 × 4.5 cm, containing printed matter, found objects, scores, and ephemera

Lyon and Nice, France; 1979

Artist multiple; boîte-catalogue; mixed-media object

Lyon, France (April 1979); Nice, France (July–September 1979)