Dan Basen

Dan Basen Synopsis

Rediscovering the forgotten visionary of 1960s Manhattan scene

Dan Murray Basen (1939-1970) was a captivating and largely overlooked artist of the 1960s downtown Manhattan scene. Though long neglected by art history, he left a lasting impression on those who knew him, friends, lovers, and fellow artists alike. He helped introduce Allan Kaprow's Happenings to Baltimore, blurred the line between Pop art and Nouveau Réalisme, and exhibited alongside icons like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Robert Rauschenberg. Yet he resisted easy classification, critiquing commercial Pop, dabbling in folk art, surrealist film, performance, and assemblage.
This monograph is the first academic art historical treatment of Dan Basen, the result of two years of research drawing on letters, diaries, archival footage, interviews, and long-lost ephemera. From gallery shows to philosophical musings, from queer eroticism to Dadaesque provocations, Basen's work reveals a complex artist who bridged genres with visionary intensity and often, self-destruction.
Dan Basen's refusal to conform may explain his marginalization. Yet his art was collected by major figures like the Rockefellers and displayed in key institutions. With renewed scholarly interest in outsider and folk traditions, Basen's legacy, marked by raw experimentation and fierce independence, deserves a rightful place in the broader narrative of postwar American art.