He had exhibited at Moma in New York, at the Pompidou Center in Paris… and at Môtiers Art en plein air. Ben died this Wednesday at the age of 88 in Nice. The artist was known for his slogans written in white handwritten letters on a black background.
Benjamin Vautier, his real name, “was discovered lifeless at his home” according to the Nice prosecutor’s office. The first elements of the investigation indicate a gunshot wound. This disappearance provoked an avalanche of reactions. French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati spoke of a legendary artist. The Nice native has an international reputation: in 1992, during the Universal Exhibition in Seville, he provoked by writing “Switzerland does not exist”.
Ben: “Ah, but it’s definitely Môtiers. »
Ben had also exhibited in the region. And in particular at Môtiers Art en plein air. The Franco-Swiss artist had also forged strong links with its founders, Marie and Pierre-André Delachaux. In 1995, he created the poster entitled “Môtiers does nothing in half” and exhibited in the village. “It happened a bit like that. Then after that it happened. At each exhibition, we offered him something. He never came here to Môtiers,” says Pierre-André Delachaux. “And every time we spoke with him, he told us “ah, but it’s Môtiers”. He imagined the landscape, his paintings on shutters or on benches. He always told us that he was very happy. » Marie Delachaux also remembers the exchanges with the Niçois: “When we arrived at his house, one day he said to us “Hello Môtiers!” On the phone too. »
” I feel good here “
Ben therefore became attached to Môtiers in 1995, and returned to each exhibition until 2021. In 2003, he left his mark on certain Môtiers benches. In 2007, the shutters of a house on Grand-Rue were signed “Ben”. In 2011, he shared this attachment with visitors. On one of the village roofs, he writes “I am happy here”. The provocation returned in 2015, with a huge canvas in a field on which “Fuck art” was written. He’s the biggest Ben in the world. In 2021, he returns with the smallest Ben in the world: stamps, to be printed on visitors’ hands.
Marie and Pierre-André Delachaux are unanimous: Ben brought people together. “The children recognized him, because they saw him in their notebooks or schoolbags,” recalls Marie Delachaux. And Pierre-André even specifies: “Ben brought everyone together because he had done quite a few exhibitions all over the world. »
#Swiss
