The Easel

Can performance art be owned? Why the genre is often missing in museum collections

Performance art is “low down on the totem pole” of museum priorities. What does it mean to collect something that is so ephemeral? Apparently, an acquisition involves buying the concept and any documentation – plus a moral obligation to have it performed now and then. A few major museums are keen collectors, many not. Are these purchased works covered by copyright? Its “problematic”.