Barton Lidicé Beneš (American, 1942-2012) was an artist born in Westwood, New Jersey, and lived in New York. He often used unconventional materials in his work, such as cremation ashes, shells, his own HIV+ blood, currency, and shredded money. In the 1980s, he first came to prominence with his constructions of shredded money and later with arrangements of relics from Ancient Egypt to Hollywood. In his series that traveled across Europe, Lethal Weapons, Beneš chronicled his HIV+ status with his blood, confronting the AIDs crisis head-on. He has also featured in numerous documentaries about art, AIDs, and gay history, as part of the forefront of New York’s post Stonewall era burgeoning gay scene. Beneš’ work continues to serve as a symbol of resistance and has been exhibited nationally and internationally at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH; North Dakota Museum of Art, Grand Forks, ND; Katonah Museum of Art, Westchester, NY; The New York Public Library, New York, NY; The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT; The Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; Borås Konstmuseum, Borås, Sweden; and Old Town Hall, Prague, Czech Republic. His work is in the permanent collections of The Art Institute of Chicago, The Smithsonian, The U.S. Mint, and the North Dakota Museum of Art. Beneš is represented by Pavel Zoubok Gallery in New York.