José Bento Lives and works at Belo Horizonte, Brazil, b. 1962

Salvador, Bahia, 1962.
He lives and works in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Self-taught, he began his artistic practice during the 1980s, with the production of artistic models that were presented in his first solo exhibition, held in 1989 at the Palácio das Artes in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais.

From the 1990s onwards, he started to produce large sculptures, mainly with wood, exploring the natural organicity and transformation of matter, activating the space around the work.

He participated in solo and group exhibitions from 1989 onwards and was awarded at the twelfth National Salon of Fine Arts, among others. His sculpture Chão, made with wooden blocks from demolitions, was assembled at the 32nd São Paulo Biennial – Uncertainty alive, in 2016, occupying an area of 672 m2.

He participated in other exhibitions such as the Benin Biennial, in 2012; and, in 2022, the 13th Mercosul Biennial – Trauma, dream, escape, in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Among his most recent solo shows are Anomalia da solitude, in 2023, and Todos os olhos, 2018, both at Millan.
José Bento's work was acquired by public collections from Brazilian institutions such as: Pampulha Art Museum, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais; Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo and Instituto Itaú Cultural, in São Paulo; National Museum of Fine Arts, Rio de Janeiro; and some public and private international collections.