Ben Vautier, who now lives and works in Nice, was born in Naples in 1935. Inspired by Yves Klein, Marcel Duchamp and the Nouveaux Réalistes, Vautier developed a distinctive personal style with leanings towards Dada. During the latter half of the 1950s, Vautier - years before Andy Warhol did anything of the kind - produced work based on variations on a highly simplified banana motif. In addition, Vautier worked with configurations consisting of multiple individual parts recalling Jean Tinguely's machines.
Like Al Hansen and John Cage Ben Vautier was a leading exponent of the Fluxus movement between 1962 and 1970. Now a member of the art establishment, Ben has become a mentor for the fledgling Figuration Libre. The artist's trade mark consists in instructions and explanations written on objects in a lurid pastel tone. Exhibitions in France and abroad as well as numerous retrospectives attest to Ben Vautier's continuing success.