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)
$1,000
"Mystery Box (Boîte mystère)" Ben Vautier, Fluxus Movement Conceptual Sculpture
By Ben Vautier
Located in New York, NY
Ben Vautier Mystery Box (Boîte mystère), 1965 Painted wood with letterpress label 3 13/16 × 2 3/4 × 2 7/16 inches Ben Vautier was a French artist known for his text-based paintings...
Wood, Paper
$667
H 15.5 in W 21.5 in D 1.5 in
Gil Scullion, You Forget, 2017, 20 sheets of stacked hand-cut paper
By Gil Scullion
Located in Darien, CT
Where do we come from? Where are we going? What the hell is going on here? 2017-2018 Hand cut paper in wood box Gil Scullion’s conceptual text-based work has been featured in exhibi...
Paper
$8,400
H 36 in W 216 in D 84 in
Fritz Horstman, Formwork for the East River, 2017, Wood, Latex Paint, Wood Panel
By Fritz Horstman
Located in Darien, CT
While working on a large building project several years ago the artist, Fritz Horstman was struck by the poetry in the unfinished state of the construction site. He was drawn specifically to the space between the plywood walls that were raised as formworks for the pouring of cement. That space could only exist for a few hours before the cement truck arrived, but in that moment it was a revolving abstraction of potential, delineation, growth, and destruction. Once filled it was gone: the plywood was stripped away, the earth was backfilled. To suspend that moment he began building models of formworks. Leaving them unfilled, they are perpetually unfinished. From models based directly on architecture, Horstman expanded to forms found in the landscape. Making a formwork that depicts constraint upon the landscape is not exactly a reversal of the formwork’s function, but it asks different questions than a formwork designed for a building would. Why would you make a cement creek? What is the relationship between a flowing creek and poured cement? Is this a barrier or just delineation? For River Woman ODETTA, in addition to several small sculptures in the Flat File, Horstman will install Formwork for the East River, which describes that river’s shape as it flows from Rikers Island to the tip of Manhattan. The 3 x 18 x 7 foot sculpture...
Wood, Latex, Wood Panel
Chimera Bad
By Niki Singleton
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Acrylic, oil, paper collage, car side mirror, branches, chimes, rag, clock radio (Instructions: Press “on” button on side of radio to turn on. Tune to suitable station) A pa...
Acrylic, Mirror, Mixed Media, Oil, Rag Paper
$667
H 15.5 in W 21.5 in D 1.5 in
Gil Scullion, You First, 2017, 20 sheets of stacked hand-cut paper
By Gil Scullion
Located in Darien, CT
Where do we come from? Where are we going? What the hell is going on here? 2017-2018 Hand cut paper in wood box Gil Scullion’s conceptual text-based work has been featured in exhibi...
Paper
Child's Play (I and II)
By Dianne Baker
Located in Buffalo, NY
Each of the works is 14" x 16" x 1". They are meant to be hung together either vertically or horizontally. Diane Baker is a mixed media and fiber-related sculptor working out o...
Metal
$800
H 7 in W 5 in D 2 in
Fritz Horstman, Formwork for a Rectangle 2, 2014, Wood, Plywood
By Fritz Horstman
Located in Darien, CT
While working on a large building project several years ago the artist, Fritz Horstman was struck by the poetry in the unfinished state of the construction site. He was drawn specifically to the space between the plywood walls that were raised as formworks for the pouring of cement. That space could only exist for a few hours before the cement truck...
Wood, Plywood
$850
H 10 in W 7 in D 1 in
Fritz Horstman, Formwork for Branching Stream, 2017, Wood, Walnut
By Fritz Horstman
Located in Darien, CT
While working on a large building project several years ago the artist, Fritz Horstman was struck by the poetry in the unfinished state of the construction site. He was drawn specifically to the space between the plywood walls that were raised as formworks for the pouring of cement. That space could only exist for a few hours before the cement truck...
Wood, Walnut
$1,700
H 8 in W 17 in D 2 in
Fritz Horstman, Five Walls With Openings, 2016, Wood, Walnut
By Fritz Horstman
Located in Darien, CT
While working on a large building project several years ago the artist, Fritz Horstman was struck by the poetry in the unfinished state of the construction site. He was drawn specifically to the space between the plywood walls that were raised as formworks for the pouring of cement. That space could only exist for a few hours before the cement truck...
Wood, Walnut
$1,300
H 7 in W 7 in D 3 in
Fritz Horstman, Formwork for a Square Pad, 2015, Steel, Wood, Maple
By Fritz Horstman
Located in Darien, CT
While working on a large building project several years ago the artist, Fritz Horstman was struck by the poetry in the unfinished state of the construction site. He was drawn specifically to the space between the plywood walls that were raised as formworks for the pouring of cement. That space could only exist for a few hours before the cement truck...
Steel
Fritz Horstman, Glacier Face, 2016, Wood, Walnut
By Fritz Horstman
Located in Darien, CT
While working on a large building project several years ago the artist, Fritz Horstman was struck by the poetry in the unfinished state of the construction site. He was drawn specifically to the space between the plywood walls that were raised as formworks for the pouring of cement. That space could only exist for a few hours before the cement truck...
Wood, Walnut
$3,500
H 37 in W 27 in D 2 in
Mixed Media Planet with Roots: 'Fons et origo #3' (Source & Origin)
By Angelica Bergamini
Located in New York, NY
Fons et origo, which in Latin means Source and Origin, includes 8 wall-sculptures. These circular shapes sprout long roots in delicate hand-cut formations. Some of the roots have tin...
Metal, Wire
Wood equals paper
By Dianne Baker
Located in Buffalo, NY
A contemporary collection of conceptual wall sculptures by Dianne Baker titled "Wood = Paper" created in 2016 with wood, metal, leather and handmade paper. Various Sizes: 16" x 1...
Metal