Born in Westwood, New Jersey.

Barton Beneš presented his social commentaries, often about the art market and fame, in the form of objects he made using shredded money (which he somehow managed to get from the U.S. Mint), and “museums” in which he enshrined ephemera from the lives of famous people. The sixteen collaged bits and pieces in Reliquarium (1997) include a piece of Elizabeth Taylor’s shoe to a crumb from the wedding cake of the Prince of Wales. Beneš’s traveling exhibition series about AIDS, Lethal Weapons, was the focus of an independent documentary film released in 1997.

More Information

Artist website
North Dakota Museum of Art: Barton Lidice Benes