ABSTRACT
Dylan’s relationship with the American Counterculture of the 1960s is a problematic issue, as the artist often disengaged himself from its activities and showed distance to its ideals, while at the same time playing a crucial role in its history. It is claimed here that Dylan’s protean qualities, his mutable identity, and his performative and cross-over art stem from the cultural and artistic contexts of the decade, including the concept of the dematerialisation of art. The three Counterculture movements, political activists of the New Left, hippies and anarchists (diggers, yippies), were all indebted to Dylan. As exemplified in many comments made by their representatives, all three movements tried to appropriate Dylan and his art, meeting however with his resistance. Being an unwilling icon of the Counterculture, Dylan embodies its main ideals, while persistently affirming his independence as an artist.
