Born in 1935 in Naples, Italy.

Lives and works in Nice, France.

Arrived in Nice in 1949, he studied at the Parc-Impérial school and the Collège Stanislas before working in bookstores. In 1958, he opened Le Laboratoire 32, 32 rue de L'Escarène, which became the “Ben doute de Tout” gallery and a meeting and exhibition space where the main members of what would be the Ecole de Nice, César, Arman… 

He made his first writing paintings in 1958, developed from 1958 to 60 the idea of Total Art and from the beginning of the 60s the notion of appropriation (He signs the Holes, the Dirty Waters, God, the Windows...). Close to Yves Klein and seduced by New Realism, he is convinced that «art must be new and bring a shock».

On the occasion of an exhibition at the One Gallery in London in 1962, in which he lived in the fortnight of the window, he met George Maciunas who made him join the Fluxus group.

After meeting George Brecht in New York in 1964, Ben became the advocate of an art of attitude and used his gallery space to spread the ideas of Fluxus. 

The Boutique was bought in 1975 by the Musée National d'Art Moderne and entered the Centre Georges Pompidou in 1977, which regularly presents it in its collections.

In 1995, the MAC of Marseille devoted a retrospective entitled «For or against», followed in 2001 by «Je cherche la vérité» at the MAMAC of Nice and «Strip-tease intégral» at the MAC of Lyon in 2010. More recently, new retrospectives such as «Is everything art?» at the Museum Tinguely in Basel, in 2015 then «Everything is art?» at the Musée Maillol in Paris in 2016. He participated in many group exhibitions, «Fluxus» and others, around the world. Known for his actions and writing paintings, Ben has played a central role in spreading radical art ideas through his many publications. His production, both reflection on art in its most fundamental and integrating our daily life in its most particular, succeeds in making life an art. Universes as far removed from the artistic field as ethnicity, ego or truth have thus entered his work.

Nine solo exhibitions of Ben took place at the gallery Lara Vincy: I have too many ideas I do not know what to do in 1996, The air of nothing in 1998, The mess is gaining ground in 2000, The room of the philosopher in 2002, What is art in 2007, Contemporary art makes me laugh in 2010, I’m not crazy in 2012, What is culture? in 2013 and I am (not) eternal in 2023.