Jean Brown (December 20, 1911 – May 1, 1994) was born in Brooklyn, New York, and is best known for her work as a librarian and art collector .^[1] Her papers were acquired by the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles, California, in 1985.^[2]

Brown worked as a librarian.^[3] She lived in Massachusetts.^[3] Her home in Tyringham, MA, became a meeting place for Fluxus artists.^[3] The Shaker Seed, as it was called, was an 1845 Shaker house.^[3][1]

Brown's father was a rare-book dealer in Brooklyn.^[2] Her husband, Leonard Brown, worked as an insurance agent.^[2]

Brown collected art with her husband Leonard Brown (1909–1970).^[4] They began collecting Abstract Expressionism, but turned to Dada and Surrealism when AbEx became too expensive.^[4] Brown collected 6,000 artworks by Fluxus, beginning in the 1970s.^[3]

Brown's collecting developed in parallel to her friendships with artists.^[4] Duchamp visited the Browns at their home.^[4] She cultivated a lifelong friendship with George Maciunas, from whom she purchased Fluxus artworks.^[3] Brown commissioned Maciunas to design a room in her house to house her Fluxus collection.^[3]

In addition to Fluxus, Brown collected Surrealism, Dada, and post-war art.^[3] Brown's collection was the first collection of contemporary art by the Getty.^[4] It was acquired for its strengths in Dada and Surrealism; the Fluxus materials and artists' books were an unexpected acquisition.^[5]