New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
– May 30, 2012,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
) was an artist who lived and worked in New York City. He studied at
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has an additional campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The institute was founded in 18 ...
,
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
and Beaux-Arts,
Avignon
Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...
, France.
Early life
Before Beneš attended Pratt Institute, he lived with his grandparents in Brooklyn, New York. As a teenager he made the U.S. Olympic speed skating team, while smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. It became clear around 17 years old that Beneš had a flair for the contradictory, and the romantic. He would often walk around the city bare foot saying “I thought it was romantic to be a pig”. Around this time in his life Beneš would sneak out and go to a mob-run gay bar named New Colony. While spending time there he was asked to complete an installation for customers to view. After being hired for his first piece he was given a job designing window installations for New Colony. While working for New Colony he met a man named Howard Meyer.
Beneš and Howard soon moved in with each other and began their careers from home. Not soon after in 1969 Beneš was contracted and put on his first exhibit “Leather and Lace”, a show involving him strapped naked to a padded leather table. He was then changed when he traveled to Africa to create his last painting. While in Africa his views of art evolved towards an obsession with Africa's tribal culture, artifacts, and erotica.
Mid life
Following Beneš’s trip to Africa his work became increasingly contradictory during the 70s and 80s. His art revolved around clever artistic puns (i.e. a book nailed shut in protest of freedom of speech). During this time he and his aunt Evelyn, who was interested in the stories of Barton's life in New York, would exchange letters. Fueled by speed she would write letters ranging from 50 to 60 pages. Barton would then turn the letters in to small intricate books.
While Beneš was using his aunt as a prompt for his art, a hustler that was hired by Beneš began an affair with his lover Howard. Aunt Evelyn who had begun writing to Bartons friends, also began writing to the hustler. During the affair the hustler responded to Aunt Evelyn informing her of what her letters were being used for. This led to a falling out between Beneš and his Aunt. She threatened to sue him, then immediately stopped all communication with her nephew. Later in life Beneš attempted to reconnect with his aunt, but his efforts were not successful.
In 1986 Howard Meyer was diagnosed with
Kaposi's Sarcoma
Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a type of cancer that can form masses on the skin, in lymph nodes, in the mouth, or in other organs. The skin lesions are usually painless, purple and may be flat or raised. Lesions can occur singly, multiply in a limite ...
and Benĕs with AIDS. The next few years after he was diagnosed included the passing of a number of close friends. Three years afterwards Howard Meyers passed from his illness. This was the breaking point for Beneš as he watched his lover pass. Barton says that “When he died—it’s crazy but true—I saw the energy leave his body, and I got on top of him to grab the energy.”. For the first time since Beneš was diagnosed with AIDS, he had an artistic impulse. He was inspired to use the emotions he was experiencing in his work. Beneš began to use his friends and their memories as mementos in his pieces.
On one evening in 1990 Beneš cut his hand while preparing dinner. Being used to fact that his blood is toxic he rushed for bleach. Before retrieving the bleach however, he began to focus on the idea that his blood contained a dualistic meaning. Responding to the experience he began a series of pieces titled “Lethal Weapons”, a series of 8 shadow boxes, each containing a different weapon containing his blood. During the first showing of his exhibit in 1990 his pieces were disinfected at 160 degrees in a hospital oven while in
Lund, Sweden
Lund (, ;"Lund" (US) and ) is a city in the
due to the extreme level of discomfort that the patrons were experiencing.
After his diagnosis, Beneš became an advocate for the destigmatization of AIDS. From 2003-2009 he served on the board of
Visual AIDS
Visual AIDS is an art organization based in New York City. Started in 1988, it is one of the first initiatives to record the impact of the AIDS pandemic on the artistic community. Art institutions and AIDS-related communities co-developed project ...
. His artwork became a visual representation of AIDS and its history. He turned his life from a victim of the disease to a terrorist. He would inflict symbolic violence on a judgemental society, his works of art showing the lethality of a disease. Beneš also explored the eroticism of his illness, using eroticism to cope with the world around him. When two of his friends died, he paid tribute to the couple by combining both of their ashes in a hourglass, symbolically binding his friends in death.
Late life and death
Beneš's apartment in New York contained his collection of over $1 million worth of African, Egyptian, and contemporary art, as well as his own. After his death in 2012 the interior of his apartment, including his shadow box museums, was relocated and reconstructed at the
North Dakota Museum of Art
The North Dakota Museum of Art (NDMOA) is the official art museum of the American state of North Dakota. Located on the campus of the University of North Dakota, in Grand Forks, North Dakota, the museum is a private not-for-profit institution. ...
, under the supervision of his friend and colleague Laurel Reuter, director of the museum. The exhibit opened in late 2013 and is called Barton's Place.