Cunégonde et MalabarBenjamin Vautier (b. 1935)

Born in Paris, Vautier spent his early life there, prior to moving south to the coastal city of Nice along the famous Cote d’Azur. He became enamored with the work of Marcel Duchamp, and became a conceptual artist, joining the Fluxus movement in the 1960s, an international group of artists who were heavily influenced by John Cage and the Dada movement, as well as by Duchamp. In his own work, he appropriates everything, signing his name to everything he sees, and has also been involved in the Mail Art movement. Many of his individual works play off of the works of the earlier Dadaists; for example, a plain box is lettered with the phrase, “Depuis Duchamp on peut mettre n’importe quoi dans cette boite [after Duchamp one could anything in this box].” He signs most of his own work “Ben.”

In 1976 he opened a gallery in his home in Nice, naming it after his children, Cunégonde and Malabar. An old farmhouse, it is located in the hills above the city. He works and exhibits his work here, but he also has installed numerous found objects of all media, styles and techniques, all over his house. Old toilets and bidets (more references to Duchamp) share space with garden gnomes, old clocks, many of his own painted signs and graffiti, old paint cans, bottles, broken toys, a toy rhinoceros, empty picture frames, and much, much more. The color is riotous and the juxtapositions are often hilarious. There is also a space that is dedicated to the doll collection of his wife, Annie.

Visitors are welcome to view the exterior of the home and the artist is usually happy to speak with them and show them around, if he is at home.

~Jo Farb Hernández, 2017

Jo Farb Hernández

103 Route de Saint-Pancrace
Nice, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 06100 fr
Latitude/Longitude: 43.7507186 / 7.2463438

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