Jean Benoît

The dark, grotesque characters wore sharp, seemingly mechanical pieces mixing biomorphic, animalistic shapes that make the humans look like torture devices. Breton mentioned Benoit in Surrealism and Painting: "STAND ASIDE to let the Marquis de Sade pass 'in his own likeness' and reinvented by Jean Benoît with all his powers." One sculpture called "Book Cover for Magnetic Fields" features demonic figures ripping an egg from a book. Magnetic Fields was the name of the book Breton wrote with Philippe Soupault, which Breton called the first surrealist book. Many of his works include demonic figures, brutal sexual images, exaggerated phalluses, and so on. Benoît was active and remained productive, working every day on his art until he died on August 20, 2010, in Paris. He was 88. The memorial service was scheduled for September 11, 2010 at the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris by the Benoît family. He is the subject of Deco Dawson's 2012 short film Keep a Modest Head.

Jean Benoît studied at École des beaux-arts de Montréal. The recorded working language is French. The field of work recorded is painting, art of sculpture and art of drawing. Places of work recorded in the authority are Paris. Work by Jean Benoît is recorded in the collections of National Gallery of Canada, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Israel Museum and Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal.

• Born — 27 August 1922 • Birthplace — Quebec City • Died — 20 August 2010 • Place of death — Paris • Education — École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal • Movement — Surrealism

Jean Benoît was recorded at birth as Jean Thomas Caron Benoît. The authorities additionally record the headings Jean Benoit and Jean Thomas Caron Benoît. His recorded language was French.