Ben Vautier, Fluxus Artist, Dies at 88

According to information relayed by France Info, the artist was found at his home in Nice, and died of a "gunshot wound " to the head, according to Claire Ribero, chief of staff to the Nice public prosecutor. Initial hypotheses point to suicide, following the death of Benjamin Vautier's wife on Tuesday June 4, 2024. However, the police investigation is continuing.

Born on July 18, 1935 in Naples (Italy), Benjamin Vautier is of Franco-Swiss origin. This multicultural background has marked him all his life, in the major stages of his life, through his travels and in his works. From early childhood, Ben and his family traveled from country to country, fleeing the Second World War. Later, Ben traveled to share his work around the world.

Considered avant-garde and post-modern, Ben soon joined the Fluxus artistic movement: through humor and derision, the artist questioned art, its role and its importance... A movement that gave rise to "anti-art", confirming Ben's position as a provocative, mischievous artist.

Ben Vautier is equally at home in video, photography, painting, sculpture, performance art and mail art. In his own words: in art, everything is new, everything is possible. Throughout his career, he has strived to create something new.

Today, Vautier’s works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, the Centre George Pompidou in Paris, and the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, among others.