Maurice Bennett
Maurice "Toastman" Bennett | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Paeroa, New Zealand |
| Died | June 6, 2016 (aged 59) Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Years active | 1998–2016 |
| Known for | Toast mosaic portraits |
Maurice "Toastman" Bennett (25 April 1957 – 6 June 2016) was a New Zealand-based artist distinguished for his innovative use of toast as an artistic medium. Beginning in 2000, he gained prominence for his expansive toast mosaic portraits depicting figures such as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Jonah Lomu, the Mona Lisa, Dame Edna, and Barack Obama, attracting significant media coverage both within New Zealand and internationally. Between 2000 and 2005, Bennett held the world record for the largest toast portrait and also established a world record for the largest candy portrait, featuring Eminem crafted from M&M's.
Shortly after embarking on his toast art journey in 2000, Bennett was diagnosed with cancer and given a prognosis of five years to live; however, he survived for sixteen years beyond this estimate. Prior to dedicating himself fully to art in 2009, he and his wife managed a supermarket and brewery in Wellington. Bennett passed away at his residence in Island Bay, Wellington, at the age of 59.
Early life and career
Born on 25 April 1957 in Paeroa, New Zealand, Bennett completed his secondary education in Whakatāne. He earned a civil engineering certificate from Auckland Technical Institute and commenced but did not finish architectural studies at Auckland University.[1] In 1987, he married Carolyn; the couple had two daughters. Together they operated a New World supermarket located in Island Bay and launched a brewing enterprise in 2004 before Bennett transitioned to full-time artistry in 2009.[1][2] Additionally, he was an avid collector of New Zealand ceramics and curated the Tectonic Clay exhibition held in Wellington in 2014.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Bennett’s initial artistic endeavors encompassed painting, sculpture, and installation art.[1] His 1998 exhibition Burning Desire, presented at the New Zealand Fringe Festival, showcased charred objects as art pieces and earned him the festival’s "off-the-edge" accolade.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name His experimentation with toast art began in 1999 with a creation consisting of 940 slices displayed outside his supermarket.[1][3] Inspired by a family barbecue event and an image by artist Chuck Close resembling toast fragments,[1][4][5] Bennett carved out a unique artistic niche by merging elements of popular culture with unconventional materials.
Toast artworks
Bennett produced large-scale toast mosaics comparable to billboards by utilizing software that transformed photographs into pixelated grids. He achieved precise shading on bread slices by toasting them using commercial ovens, oxy-acetylene torches, and occasionally domestic toasters, favoring Tip Top white bread while also experimenting with multi-grain varieties.
His inaugural large-scale work was a portrait of Wellington mayor Mark Blumsky composed of 2,724 slices, created for the 2000 New Zealand Fringe Festival. This piece was ultimately destroyed due to exposure to weather conditions and seagull interference; following this experience, Bennett applied polyurethane coatings to protect subsequent works. This initial portrait held the world record for the largest toast mosaic until it was surpassed in 2005. In 2001, he completed a Mona Lisa portrait made up of 2,124 slices displayed on a building in Wellington. The following year saw the creation of a Jonah Lomu portrait consisting of 2,378 slices exhibited at Café Brava; although Lomu's manager initially raised copyright concerns, permission was eventually granted for its continued display.
Also in 2002, an Australian bakery commissioned Bennett to produce a towering Dame Edna portrait measuring 7.35 meters tall and composed of 2,989 slices, which was showcased on a Melbourne billboard. He further created a 5.76-square-meter Elvis Presley toast portrait commemorating the 25th anniversary of Presley’s death; this work attracted international media attention from outlets such as CNN, BBC, and Time magazine.
In 2003, Bennett crafted a three-meter square toast portrait featuring then-Prime Minister Helen Clark using 3,024 slices for the Edible Arts Festival held in Napier. After vandalism damaged the piece’s nose, Bennett agreed to "toast a new nose" as restoration. A tabloid playfully nicknamed him "Michelangeloaf" in tribute to his distinctive medium.
By 2010, Bennett had produced large portraits of American President Barack Obama (4,234 slices) and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key (4,204 slices). The United States ambassador remarked that this might have been the first toast representation of Obama. Additionally, Bennett created an Eminem portrait made from 5,040 M&M's that holds a Guinness World Record. His rugby-themed works include portraits of Richie McCaw displayed at the New Zealand Rugby Museum as well as depictions of Gareth Edwards and beer critic Michael Jackson.
Bennett’s creations have been featured on international television programs such as Ripley's Believe It or Not! (US), Amazing Stories (Japan), Holmes and Campbell Live (New Zealand), and exhibited worldwide including venues in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.
Later years and passing
During his later period, Bennett broadened his artistic scope to incorporate collage works influenced by Māori carving and traditional motifs, which he regarded as more demanding than his portrait creations. After being diagnosed with chronic lymphoid leukemia in 2000 and given a prognosis of five years, he remained active in the art community. In 2014, he gifted the toast artwork Care, Hope and Love to the cancer ward at Wellington Hospital. Bennett succumbed to the disease on 6 June 2016 at his residence in Island Bay, Wellington. A commemorative service took place at St Mark's Church in Carterton, a location where he had designed a stained glass installation.
Notable exhibitions
- 2014: Hope on Toast, Deluxe Café, Wellington.
- 2011: The Five Greatest Rugby Players of All Time, featured in A Game of Two Halves at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, Wellington.
- 2011: Marilyn Monroe portrait display, Xintiandi, Shanghai.
- 2010: Toast Art Picasso, K11 Art Mall, Hong Kong.
- 2009: Just Toasted, South Coast Gallery, Wellington.
- 2006: The Toastman, South Coast Gallery, Wellington.
- 2002: Toast Art, Café Brava, Wellington.
- 2001: Toast @ Toast, Toast Bistro Gallery, Wellington.
- 2000: Mark Blumsky portrait, New Zealand Fringe Festival, Wellington.
- 1998: Burning Desire, New Zealand Fringe Festival, Wellington.
External links
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- 1957 births
- 2016 deaths
- People from Paeroa
- Auckland University of Technology alumni
- Mosaic artists
- 20th-century New Zealand male artists
- 21st-century New Zealand male artists
- New Zealand installation artists
- 20th-century New Zealand businesspeople
- 21st-century New Zealand businesspeople
- New Zealand businesspeople in retailing
- New Zealand brewers
- Deaths from chronic lymphocytic leukemia
- Deaths from leukemia in New Zealand