Harry Benson
Julian Schnabel in his studio, Palazzo Chupi, New York, 2011
2011

About the Item

Harry Benson photographed artist Julian Schnabel at his famed home and studio Palazzo Chupi in the West Village for his book New York, New York (published in 2014). As Benson noted, “his environment was as unique as the artist was himself”. Untitled, Shiva (2011), and Jane Birkin #2 (1990), which is shaped like sails that the artist encountered during his travels in Egypt and is in fact painted on sailcloth that Schnabel acquired from the sailors.

Creator:
Harry Benson (1929, Scottish)
Creation Year:
2011
Dimensions:
Height: 31 in (78.74 cm)Width: 37 in (93.98 cm)
More Editions & Sizes:
Edition of 35Price: $7,000
Medium:
Archival Pigment
Period:
2010-
Condition:
Gallery Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2910504902
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Shop All Harry Benson

Harry Benson

Iconic photographer Harry Benson has captured some of the most pivotal moments in modern history. Always in the right place at the right time, Benson used his camera lens to give the world a glimpse into events that rocked the globe. His black and white and color photographs include shots of celebrities, politicians, royalty, political upheavals and social revolutions. His contributions to photography are widely celebrated and recognized.

One of the first highlights of Benson's career was touring with the Beatles in February of 1964. While at the Hotel George V in Paris, he snapped the famous images of the band having a playful pillow fight. Benson stayed in America after the Beatles' first visit to the States and started working for Life in 1968. He was under contract with the magazine from 1970 to 2000.

Benson was on assignment for Life during the 1968 assassination of Robert Kennedy — just steps behind the senator when it occurred. After the shot rang out, Benson told himself, "this is for history, pull yourself together, fail tomorrow, not today," and documented the moment that Kennedy lay on the floor.

In 1989, Benson photographed the student protests in Tiananmen Square and the fall of the Berlin Wall. He was with President Clinton on his historic visit to Kosovo in 1999 and captured New York City in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Benson has also photographed every president since Eisenhower and taken numerous images of Queen Elizabeth II.

Over the course of his long career, Benson's photographs have appeared in Town & Country, Vanity Fair, Time, GQ, Newsweek, Vice, Architectural Digest and more. His works are held in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Benson has earned extensive accolades for his work in photography. The National Press Photographers Association twice named him “Magazine Photographer of the Year.” He has also received several lifetime achievement awards, an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Glasgow University and The University of St. Andrews, and an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of authentic Harry Benson photography.