Ben Morea

Ben Morea
Morea in 2024
Born
Benjamin Anthony Morea

(1941-10-08)October 8, 1941
New York City, U.S.
DiedMay 2, 2026(2026-05-02) (aged 84)
Gardner, Colorado, U.S.
OccupationsPainter, activist

Benjamin Anthony Morea (October 8, 1941 – May 2, 2026) was an American painter, anarchist activist, and co-founder of Up Against the Wall Motherfucker.[1] He was a friend of social theorist Murray Bookchin and of radical feminist Valerie Solanas.[2][3]

Life and career

Benjamin Anthony Morea was born into poverty in Brooklyn, New York City, on October 8, 1941.[4][5] He became addicted to heroin and discovered painting while incarcerated and in drug rehabilitation.[6] In the 1960s, he adopted a style of abstract expressionism and befriended the co-founders of the Living Theatre.[7] In 1966, he co-founded the group Black Mask alongside Dan Georgakas, along with a semi-monthly newspaper of the same name.[8] Today, the newspapers are of tremendous value, often reaching hundreds of dollars.[9] The group participated in Angry Arts Week in 1967.[10]

In 1968, the name "Black Mask" was changed to Up Against the Wall Motherfucker, which essentially operated as a street gang.[11] The gang carried out most of its activities in the Lower East Side and staunchly supported the events of May 68.[12] After the group's dissolution, Morea and his wife moved to the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness in Colorado.[13] In 2023, he attended the St. Imier Anti-Authoritarian International Gathering in Switzerland.[14]

Ben Morea died on May 2, 2026, after collapsing at his property in Gardner, Colorado, at the age of 84.[15][16]

References

  1. ^ Uesseler, Ariel (May 7, 2026). "A Life in Rebellion". Ill Will. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  2. ^ "Monday Night 06.07.04 – 7pm –Ben Morea: art and anarchism". 16beavergroup.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009.
  3. ^ "Entretien : Ben MOREA - l'Animisme et la Révolution". YouTube (in French).
  4. ^ "Drogues et créativité". School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (in French). May 9, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  5. ^ Riots, Civil and Criminal Disorders. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1969. p. 4302. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  6. ^ "Up Against The Wall Motherfucker! - Interview with Ben Morea". libcom.org. 24 March 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  7. ^ "Interactivist -- Ben Morea -- Garbage Guerrilla". ARTicles. June 5, 2005. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  8. ^ "Dan Georgakas". Babelio (in French).
  9. ^ "« Up Against The Wall, Motherfuckers ! »". Lundimatin (in French). October 23, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  10. ^ Neumann, Osha (2008). Up Against the Wall Motherf**kers: A memoir of the 60s with notes for the Next Time. Seven Stories. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-58322-849-4.
  11. ^ Hahne, Ron; Morea, Ben (2011). Black Mask & Up Against the Wall Motherfucker : The Incomplete Works of Ron Hahne, Ben Morea, and the Black Mask Group. PM Press. p. 156.
  12. ^ "Black Mask and Up Against the Wall Motherfucker: flower power won't stop fascist power". libcom.org. March 28, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  13. ^ Sokol, Brett (September 15, 2016). "The Artist Ben Morea Returns to the Site of the Revolution". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  14. ^ "Entretien avec Ben MOREA – Transmettre la flamme insurrectionnelle". Mouvement Municipal (in French). May 12, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  15. ^ Rosenwald, Michael S. (May 26, 2026). "Ben Morea, Principal Provocateur of 1960s Anarchist Group, Dies at 84". The New York Times. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  16. ^ "For Ben Morea (1940-2026)". Anarchist Federation. May 10, 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.

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