Skip to main content

Ben Vautier Art

French, 1935-2024

Benjamin Vautier was born in 1935, in Naples, Italy, to a French family. He was the great-grandson of the Swiss painter Marc Louis Benjamin Vautier (1829–98). He discovered Yves Klein and the Nouveau Réalisme in the 1950s, but he quickly became interested in the French Dada artist Marcel Duchamp and the music of John Cage. 

In 1959, Vautier founded the journal Ben Dieu. In 1960, he had his first one-man show, Rien et tout in Laboratoire 32.

Vautier joined George Maciunas in the Fluxus artistic movement, in October 1962. He was also active in Mail-Art and was mostly known for his text-based paintings or écritures, which began in 1953, with his work Il faut manger. Il faut dormir. Another example of the latter is L'art est inutile. Rentrez chez vous (Art is Useless, Go Home). A notable work made for Harald Szeemann's Documenta 5 exhibition in 1972 shouts, “KUNST IST ÜBERFLÜSSIG” (English: "Art is Superfluous"), and was installed across the top of the Fridericianum museum in Kassel, Germany. 

Vautier long defended the rights of minorities in all countries and was influenced by the theories of François Fontan about ethnism. For example, he defended the Occitan language (southern France). In 1981, he coined the name of the French art movement of the 1980s Figuration Libre (Free Figuration).

Find Benjamin Vautier art on 1stDibs.

(Biography provided by Gallery 55 TLV)

to
3
1
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
5
3
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
5
10,341
2,809
2,500
1,408
2
4
1
Artist: Ben Vautier
Au bout des yeux
Au bout des yeux

Au bout des yeux

By Ben Vautier

Located in PARIS, FR

Acrylic on canvas original painting 40 x 70 cm (Encadrée) 38 x 61 cm 15.75 x 27.56 in

Category

1990s French School Ben Vautier Art

Materials

Acrylic

1993 poster "Nous vaincrons" by Ben, Images for the Fight Against AIDS
1993 poster "Nous vaincrons" by Ben, Images for the Fight Against AIDS

1993 poster "Nous vaincrons" by Ben, Images for the Fight Against AIDS

By Ben Vautier

Located in PARIS, FR

The 1993 poster "Nous vaincrons" by Ben Vautier, commonly known as Ben, represents a striking piece of socially conscious art dedicated to the fight against AIDS. Part of the "Images...

Category

1990s Ben Vautier Art

Materials

Screen

Acheter Dieu, 1961 - mixed media, 44x33 cm, framed
Acheter Dieu, 1961 - mixed media, 44x33 cm, framed

Acheter Dieu, 1961 - mixed media, 44x33 cm, framed

By Ben Vautier

Located in Nice, FR

Gouache and technic mixte on paper, signed in the text. Benjamin Vautier was born July 18, 1935 in Naples, Italy to a French family. He is the great-grandson of the Swiss painter Marc Louis Benjamin Vautier [fr] (1829-1898). He discovered Yves Klein and the Nouveau Réalisme in the 1950s, but he became quickly interested in the French dada artist Marcel Duchamp and the music of John Cage. In 1959, Vautier founded the journal Ben Dieu. In 1960, he had his first one-man show, Rien et tout in Laboratoire 32. Ben joined George Maciunas...

Category

1960s Conceptual Ben Vautier Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Prise De Possession Du Tout, 1960 - mixed media, 33x34 cm, framed
Prise De Possession Du Tout, 1960 - mixed media, 33x34 cm, framed

Prise De Possession Du Tout, 1960 - mixed media, 33x34 cm, framed

By Ben Vautier

Located in Nice, FR

Gouche and technic mixte on paper.signed in the text. Benjamin Vautier was born July 18, 1935 in Naples, Italy to a French family. He is the great-grandson of the Swiss painter Marc Louis Benjamin Vautier [fr] (1829-1898). He discovered Yves Klein and the Nouveau Réalisme in the 1950s, but he became quickly interested in the French dada artist Marcel Duchamp and the music of John Cage. In 1959, Vautier founded the journal Ben Dieu.[2] In 1960, he had his first one-man show, Rien et tout in Laboratoire 32. Ben joined George Maciunas...

Category

1960s Conceptual Ben Vautier Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Related Items
'A Gentleman Reading to a Lady in an Interior'. Antique painting Roqueplan
'A Gentleman Reading to a Lady in an Interior'. Antique painting Roqueplan

'A Gentleman Reading to a Lady in an Interior'. Antique painting Roqueplan

Located in St. Albans, GB

Camille Joseph Etienne ROQUEPLAN 1803 - 1855 A fantastic oppotunity to buy a piece by Camill Roqueplan.His works do not come up often in auction but in 1989 one reached FF 200 000. ...

Category

1840s French School Ben Vautier Art

Materials

Oil

Beach landscape on Atlantic French coast
Beach landscape on Atlantic French coast

Beach landscape on Atlantic French coast

Located in BELEYMAS, FR

Jean-Georges PASQUET (Périgueux 1851 - 1936) Pointe de Suzac at Saint Georges de Didonne Oil on canvas H. 59 cm; W. 85 cm Signed and dated 1885 lower left Provenance: Private collec...

Category

1850s French School Ben Vautier Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

19th C French Portrait Miniature, A Fashionable Lady, after Jean-Baptiste Isabey
19th C French Portrait Miniature, A Fashionable Lady, after Jean-Baptiste Isabey

19th C French Portrait Miniature, A Fashionable Lady, after Jean-Baptiste Isabey

Located in Cotignac, FR

Portrait miniature, French, 19th century of a fine lady, oil on vellum on card. The miniature is not signed but is of very good quality. Presented in a period wood frame with a chase...

Category

19th Century French School Ben Vautier Art

Materials

Parchment Paper, Watercolor, Gouache, Vellum

Noel Gibson (1928-2005)impasto colourful small French Impressionist oil painting
Noel Gibson (1928-2005)impasto colourful small French Impressionist oil painting

Noel Gibson (1928-2005)impasto colourful small French Impressionist oil painting

Located in Cirencester, GB

ARTIST: Noel Gibson (1928-2005) Scottish TITLE: "Scene From an Interior French Riviera" SIGNED: unsigned - from a small body of his works we are currently selling MEDIUM: oil on boa...

Category

1950s French School Ben Vautier Art

Materials

Oil

Rustic Charm of the French Countryside, French School
Rustic Charm of the French Countryside, French School

Rustic Charm of the French Countryside, French School

Located in Stockholm, SE

We are pleased to offer this exquisite mid-19th century French painting, a serene landscape that beautifully captures the tranquility of rural life. This piece is signed "Ph ..." (th...

Category

Mid-19th Century French School Ben Vautier Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Early-18th Century French School, Ex-Voto Portrait With Emilian Jacobin
Early-18th Century French School, Ex-Voto Portrait With Emilian Jacobin

Early-18th Century French School, Ex-Voto Portrait With Emilian Jacobin

Located in Cheltenham, GB

This splendid early 18th-century French oil painting represents an ‘ex-voto’ with Emilian Jacobin and a depiction of the Virgin Mary with Christ and angels. Ex votos are votive offe...

Category

1710s French School Ben Vautier Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Jo Yarrington, Raging Women Behind The Veil, 2020, Mixed Media

Jo Yarrington, Raging Women Behind The Veil, 2020, Mixed Media

By Jo Yarrington

Located in Darien, CT

Jo Yarrington has always been interested in chance and the found {moment, object, person}. How random experiences click in to place, form a narrative, reveal a truth. All the work ...

Category

2010s Conceptual Ben Vautier Art

Materials

Linen, Thread, Found Objects

'Batterie de Cote Engagee' - A Naval Battle with Admiral Nelson. Oil on canvas
'Batterie de Cote Engagee' - A Naval Battle with Admiral Nelson. Oil on canvas

'Batterie de Cote Engagee' - A Naval Battle with Admiral Nelson. Oil on canvas

Located in St. Albans, GB

Francois Tattegrain This painting is named and listed in Benezit It was painted for the Paris Salon in 1911 and then sold in auction in 1919 (ref Benezit). For many years it hung i...

Category

Early 1900s French School Ben Vautier Art

Materials

Oil

Previously Available Items
Je signe rien - Vautier, Ben - aluminum / 3D text collage - hand-signed archive
Je signe rien - Vautier, Ben - aluminum / 3D text collage - hand-signed archive

Je signe rien - Vautier, Ben - aluminum / 3D text collage - hand-signed archive

By Ben Vautier

Located in Winterswijk, NL

This impressive 3D text collage features white acrylic on a brushed aluminum composite panel, created in 2016. The piece is hand-signed by the artist with a felt-tip pen, dated, and ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Post-Modern Ben Vautier Art

Materials

Metal

No title
No title

Ben VautierNo title

Sold

H 9.45 in W 5.91 in

No title

By Ben Vautier

Located in Tel Aviv - Jaffa, IL

Original drawing with black felt pen on thick paper Handsigned lower right And dedicated to Eddy in french Unique piece

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Street Art Ben Vautier Art

Materials

Felt Pen

Solution N17
Solution N17

Ben VautierSolution N17, 1960

Sold

H 17.13 in W 13.19 in D 0.79 in

Solution N17

By Ben Vautier

Located in Nice, FR

Gouache and technic mixte, signed in the text.

Category

Mid-20th Century Conceptual Ben Vautier Art

Ben Vautier art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Ben Vautier art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Ben Vautier in mixed media, felt pen, pen and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 1960s and is mostly associated with the street art style. Not every interior allows for large Ben Vautier art, so small editions measuring 6 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of (André) André Saraiva, Álvaro Verduzco, and Alex Reagan. Ben Vautier art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $500 and tops out at $3,565, while the average work can sell for $3,341.

Artists Similar to Ben Vautier