birth
Àger, Spain, 1937
death
Barcelona, Spain, 21-8-2016
last update
23-04-2025
Born in Àger, Lleida, in 1937, Benet Rossell was a painter, sculptor and experimental artist. After studying economics, law and sociology in Barcelona and Madrid, he moved to Paris where he trained in theatre and cinema and became involved in the so-called 'Catalan artists in Paris' (Jaume Xifra, Antoni Miralda and Joan Rabascall), with whom he collaborated on numerous occasions. While based in the French capital, he spent long periods of time in different parts of the world, including India, Nepal and New York, as reflected in a body of work marked by multicultural and heterodox tendencies. Referring to his creative and multifaceted personality, the critic Jean-Clarence Lambert coined the term artor, a hybrid of artist and actor. Among his many linguistic forms, above all Rossell favoured cinema, with over a hundred short and feature-length films, as well as signwriting or calligraphy. To this end, he even created his own language. Benigrafia (he signed his early works as Beni) is based on ideograms and pictograms containing painting, writing, unconscious automatism and technical innovations. His work can be described as a poetics of fragility, imbued with irony and a critical spirit. His interest lies in the complexity of simplicity and all the things that get pushed to the edges of reality and language.
With over one hundred solo exhibitions, major retrospectives dedicated to his work include Cinemathèque française-Musée du Cinéma, Paris (1971); National Film Theatre, London (1979); Anthology Film Archives, New York (1990); and Parallel Benet Rossell, MACBA (2010). His work can be found in the collections of Museo de Arte Moderno, Bogotá; Museu de Arte Contemporãnea, São Paulo; Musée d'art moderne, Céret; and MACBA; Barcelona, among others.
With over one hundred solo exhibitions, major retrospectives dedicated to his work include Cinemathèque française-Musée du Cinéma, Paris (1971); National Film Theatre, London (1979); Anthology Film Archives, New York (1990); and Parallel Benet Rossell, MACBA (2010). His work can be found in the collections of Museo de Arte Moderno, Bogotá; Museu de Arte Contemporãnea, São Paulo; Musée d'art moderne, Céret; and MACBA; Barcelona, among others.
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documents
25 results
Collection of works 30th anniversary collection [Enregistrament sonor]
document
28-11-2025 - 28-9-2026
A.HIS.08294
A.HIS.08294
Collection d'œuvres de la collection du 30e anniversaire [Enregistrament sonor]
document
28-11-2025 - 28-9-2026
A.HIS.08346
A.HIS.08346
Conjunt d'obres Col·lecció 30 aniversari [Enregistrament sonor]
document
28-11-2025 - 28-9-2026
A.HIS.08161
A.HIS.08161
Conjunto de obras Colección 30 aniversario [Enregistrament sonor]
document
28-11-2025 - 28-9-2026
A.HIS.08293
A.HIS.08293
Ampliant el procés creatiu -- Benet Rossell, darrere i davant la càmera [Enregistrament audiovisual activitat]
document
27-10-2010
A.HIS.00295
A.HIS.00295
Grafismes animats -- Benet Rossell, darrere i davant la càmera [Enregistrament audiovisual activitat]
document
20-10-2010
A.HIS.00294
A.HIS.00294
Paral·lel Benet Rossell [Reportatge fotogràfic exposició]
document
10-6-2010 - 23-1-2011
A.HIS.00076
A.HIS.00076
Fons #02: Benet Rossell [Publicació audiovisual]
document
2010
A.HIS.05065
A.HIS.05065
Construcción y deconstrucción de una teoría de la almendra de Proust complementaria de la construcción y deconstrucción de una teoría de la magdalena de Benet Rossell
document
1997
A00633
A00633
Benet Rossell / Robert Coover
document
1990
A03607
A03607
Dona, Another Woman, en Bosch i De Kooning / Benet Rossell
document
1990
A07107
A07107
Escriptures i paisatges / Benet Rossell
document
1986
A07110
A07110
Carob / Benet Rossell
document
1986
A07108
A07108
Carob / Benet Rossell
document
1986
A07109
A07109
Èczema [1982, des.]
document
1982
A.JBR.03995
A.JBR.03995
La video-instalació d'Antoni Muntadas i Benett Rosell "Rambla 24 h" [...]
document
[1981?]
A11147
A11147
[Document sobre el projecte audiovisual "Rambla 24h" realitzat per Antoni Muntadas i Benet Rossell presentat a la 23 Setmana Internacional de Cinema de Barcelona l'any 1981]
document
[1981]
A.VNO.0265
A.VNO.0265
[Document sobre el projecte audiovisual "Rambla 24h" realitzat per Antoni Muntadas i Benet Rossell presentat a la 23 Setmana Internacional de Cinema de Barcelona l'any 1981]
document
[1981]
A.VNO.0887
A.VNO.0887
Carta : París, a Joan Brossa, Girona, 1979 nov. 29
document
1979
A.JBR.02508
A.JBR.02508
Benet Rossell : afaga lupa : col·lecció de deu postals / [text: Victòria Combalia]
document
1977
A03754
A03754
Benet Rossell : afaga lupa : col·lecció de deu postals / [text: Victòria Combalia]
document
1977
A04019
A04019
Benet Rossell : afaga lupa : col·lecció de deu postals / [text: Victòria Combalia]
document
1977
A07275
A07275
Acciones corporales / Esther Ferrer
document
1975
A13548
A13548
Actions Corporelles (Acciones corporales) / Esther Ferrer
document
1975
A13690
A13690
Miralda
document
[197-]
A.GTR.0416
A.GTR.0416