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. He was a friend of social theorist Murray Bookchin and of radical feminist Valerie Solanas.

Life and career

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

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

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

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.