Maurice Bennett

Maurice Bennett

Maurice Bennett was an artist in New Zealand who used toast as an artistic medium in mosaic. The billboard-size images are made up in pixel form, using a slice of toast for each pixel. The toast is soaked in polyurethane to preserve the artwork. His portraits include Mona Lisa, Elvis Presley, US President Barack Obama, Mayor of Wellington Mark Blumsky, and rugby player Jonah Lomu. His work has been featured on Ripley's Believe It or Not. Bennett died of cancer on June 6, 2016 in Wellington, NZ.^[1]

Biography

In 2002, Maurice created a portrait of the famous New Zealand rugby player Jonah Lomu – made from slices of cocktail toast and measuring 2.4m x 2.4m. Jonah Lomu is one of the best-known living New Zealanders. He is recognised throughout Europe, South Africa, and Australia as one of the greatest sports personalities to come out of New Zealand.

Michael Jackson, the international beer critic, beer writer, and brewing industry commentator. Mr Jackson is renowned for his books and articles on the subject of beer and brewing that appear in major publications throughout the world. A prominent New Zealand liquor retailer commissioned the work.

In 2003, Maurice was commissioned to do a toast portrait of Dean Cain, the presenter for ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not’, a worldwide syndicated television programme. A segment on the show featured Maurice and his toast work. In a conversation with Cain, Maurice talked about what initially inspired him to take up toast as an artistic medium, his method of work, and how he has been stimulated by Pacific motifs.

Buttercup Bakeries, a division of Goodman Fielders Australian Ltd, commissioned Maurice to make a large toast billboard. He used 2989 slices of Wonder white bread, toasted, to create an image of the international female impersonator Dame Edna Everage. The portrait measured 7.35m x 5.8m and covered an extremely large billboard in central Melbourne, Australia. The work was on display for five weeks, at the end of which the sponsor spoke of donating it to the Melbourne Museum.

‘Princess Toast-Alofa’, Montana Wearable Arts, Nelson 2003

The dress was on display for a year at the World of Wearable Arts Museum in Nelson, New Zealand. It was inspired by the tapa cloth dresses the people of the Pacific were encouraged to wear by the Christian missionaries to show modesty.

Eminem from M&Ms

5040 individual candy M&Ms have been arranged to create an image of the rap artist Eminem. The work appeared in the Guinness Book of World Records. It holds the record for the largest picture made from candy.

Peter Jackson - Film Director

3m x 2.4m - August 2004 The work was on displayed at the Wellington International Airport.

Exhibits

Toast art

2012 - “Richie McCaw”, The New Zealand Rugby Museum. Palmerston North.

2011 - “The Five Greatest Rugby players of All Time”, New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, Wellington.“Marilyn Monroe”, Shanghai. 2010 “Toast Art Picasso”, K11 mall, Hong Kong 2009 South Coast Gallery, Wellington, NZ 2006 South Coast Gallery, Wellington, NZ 2002 Walrus Gallery, Wellington, NZ 2002 “Eat This”, Café Brava, Wellington, NZ

Burning desire

1998 “Burning Desire”, 191 Cuba Street, Wellington, NZ

Sculptural canvas

1986 Tamura Gallery, Tokyo, Japan 1986 The Famous Last and First Café, Auckland, NZ 1985 The Famous Last and First Café, Auckland, NZ 1984 The Performance Café, Auckland, NZ

Mona Lisa, 7.2m x 4.8m (2001)

Elvis Presley, 2.4m x 2.4m (2002)

Barack Obama, 2.7m x 2.4m (2010)

Awards

1999 Wellington Fringe Festival Art Award

References

Sources: <South China Morning Post Hong Kong (30 July 2010) p C2></Wellingtonian, Wellington, NZ (29 January 2009) p 7, "A welcome toast to Newtown Gallery"/ Jim Chipp></Dominion Post, Wellington, NZ (2 February 2009) p A6, "Toastman talks about living with the Big C"/ Britton Broun></Sunday Star Times, Wellington, NZ (24 February 2002), "Quirky portraits are the toast of Wellington"/ Sarah Catherall></Capital Times, Wellington, NZ (6-12 January 2001) p 5, "Toast master">