Ben Vautier

French artist of Swiss origin, born in Naples in 1935. Marcel Duchamp and his "Tout est Art" (Everything is art) represented a turning point for him in his vision of things. He was part of the avant-garde and was captivated by Nouveau Réalisme because it preached that « l'Art doit être Nouveau et apporter un choc » (Art should be New and provoke a shock). He had considerable success in the 1960s with his paintings in various media as well as with his installations.