Harry Benson Art
Scottish, b. 1929
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.
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Artist: Harry Benson
The Pillow Fight
By Harry Benson
Located in Toronto, ON
23" x 23" Unframed
Limited Edition 5/35
Hand Signed by Harry Benson
1964 printed 2012
"Harry Benson’s self-described “one photograph” is Beatles’ Pillow...
Category
1960s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
The Beatles on the Road 1964-1966 (Signed)
By Harry Benson
Located in Toronto, ON
These photos convey a really happy period for them and for me. It all comes down to music, they were without a doubt the greatest band of the 20th century, and that's why these photographs are so important. Harry Benson, 2011
In early 1964, Harry Benson was getting on a plane for a foreign assignment in Africa, when he got a call from his photo editor of London newspaper The Daily Express. He was now going with the Beatles to Paris to document French Beatlemania and what followed was the biggest (ticket to) ride of his life.
Benson was warmly welcomed into the Beatles inner sanctum, resulting in some of the most intimate photographs ever taken of the band, then on the cusp of world domination. In Paris, he took the iconic photograph of the Fab Four having a pillow fight at the George V hotel; he shot their groundbreaking first visit to the United States, the full impact of New York hysteria, their famous appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, the band in Florida, including their surprising encounter with Cassius Clay; as well as on the set of A Hard Day's Night. The relationship continued in 1966, including George's honeymoon in Barbados and their notorious US tour, under the shadow cast by Lennon's comment that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus Christ.
Benson's luminous black and white photographs show at close quarters the Beatles composing...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Harry Benson Art
Materials
Other Medium
Berlin Kiss by Harry Benson
By Harry Benson
Located in Cleveland, OH
Harry Benson was born near Glasgow, Scotland. The photographer was assigned to travel with the Beatles on their first American tour in 1964. His iconic photograph shows the band in a gleeful pillow fight in a hotel room. Benson has photographed every U.S. president from Eisenhower to Barack Obama. He was feet away when Bobby Kennedy was assassinated; in the room when Nixon resigned; with Martin Luther King, Jr. on the Meredith march; and with Coretta Scott King...
Category
1990s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Harry Benson 'Ali in Training' Limited Edition Photographic Print, 30 x 30
By Harry Benson
Located in San Rafael, CA
American Heavyweight boxer Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali), training in his gym, 21st May 1965. (Photo by Harry Benson/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
As an authorized Getty ...
Category
1960s Modern Harry Benson Art
Materials
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
Her Majesty. Vivienne Westwood Edition No. 1-500. 'Royal Greeting'
By Harry Benson
Located in Toronto, ON
Born in 1926, married in 1947, crowned as Queen in 1953, Queen Elizabeth II has carried out her royal duty for more than six decades. This book tells her remarkable royal story throu...
Category
Late 20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment, Other Medium
Being There: Photography of Harry Benson by Harry Benson & Roger Hargreaves
By Harry Benson
Located in Toronto, ON
Harry Benson has enjoyed an extraordinary and unprecedented career as a photojournalist gaining access to some of the key figures of the last fifty years often at decisive moments of...
Category
Late 20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Other Medium
Andrew Wyeth by Harry Benson
By Harry Benson
Located in Cleveland, OH
Harry Benson was born near Glasgow, Scotland. The photographer was assigned to travel with the Beatles on their first American tour in 1964. His iconic photograph shows the band in a...
Category
1960s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Harry Benson 'Ali in Training' Limited Edition Photographic Print, 40 x 40
By Harry Benson
Located in San Rafael, CA
American Heavyweight boxer Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali), training in his gym, 21st May 1965. (Photo by Harry Benson/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
As an authorized Getty ...
Category
1960s Modern Harry Benson Art
Materials
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
"Ali In Training" by Harry Benson
By Harry Benson
Located in London, GB
"Ali In Training" by Harry Benson
American Heavyweight boxer Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali), training in his gym, 21st May 1965.
Unframed
Pa...
Category
1960s Modern Harry Benson Art
Materials
Black and White
The Beatles on the Road 1964-1966 1stEd. (Signed)
By Harry Benson
Located in Toronto, ON
These photos convey a really happy period for them and for me. It all comes down to music, they were without a doubt the greatest band of the 20th century, and that's why these photo...
Category
Late 20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Other Medium
Harry Benson 'Ali in Training' Limited Edition Photographic Print, 20 x 20
By Harry Benson
Located in San Rafael, CA
American Heavyweight boxer Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali), training in his gym, 21st May 1965. (Photo by Harry Benson/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
As an authorized Getty ...
Category
1960s Modern Harry Benson Art
Materials
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
Her Majesty. Vivienne Westwood Edition No. 501–1000. ‘Royal Depart
By Harry Benson
Located in Toronto, ON
Celebrate the Queen
The extraordinary public and private life of the world’s most famous monarch
Born in 1926, married in 1947, crowned as Queen in 1953, Queen Elizabeth II has car...
Category
Late 20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Silver Gelatin, Other Medium
Once There Was A Way (Signed)
By Harry Benson
Located in Toronto, ON
A collection of photographs taken by a photographer commissioned to document Beatles on their 1964 tour of America is presented in a beautiful large-format style capturing all the gr...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Harry Benson Art
Materials
Other Medium
We Shall Overcome (The James Meredith March Against Fear), June 1966
By Harry Benson
Located in Toronto, ON
4" x 5" Unframed
Closed Edition Photograph
MAGNUM Photography
Hand Signed by Harry Benson
Category
Late 20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Glasgow Tollbooth Bar
By Harry Benson
Located in Toronto, ON
30" x 40" Unframed
Limited Edition C-Print of 35
Hand Signed by Harry Benson
Category
Early 2000s Harry Benson Art
Materials
C Print
Paul 1964
By Harry Benson
Located in Toronto, ON
4" x 5" Unframed
Closed Edition Photograph
MAGNUM Photography
Hand Signed by Harry Benson
Category
Late 20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
John Lennon
By Harry Benson
Located in Toronto, ON
11" x 14" Framed
Archival Pigment Print
Hand Signed by Harry Benson
Category
Late 20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Paul
By Harry Benson
Located in Toronto, ON
An intimate look at one of the greatest music legends of all time, by an iconic photojournalist. From the delirium of the Beatles’ 1964 U.S. tour to the heady, shaggy days of WINGS in the 1970s and the quiet idyll of life on the family farm in the early 1990s, Paul traces the evolution of a pop superstar and of the man himself through more than 100 photographs, many never seen before.
Collector’s Edition (No. 101–700), each numbered and signed by Harry Benson
Maybe I’m Amazed
A personal portrait of Paul McCartney by Harry Benson
Harry Benson began photographing the young Paul McCartney in 1964, a pivotal year for the Beatles when they took America by storm, toured the world, and made their movie debut with A Hard Day’s Night—all documented by the affable Scotsman. And when the Fab Four called it quits, it was Benson who was afforded intimate access to Paul and wife Linda, as Paul forged a new path creatively and personally.
Through Benson’s lens, Paul traces the evolution of its namesake as an icon, performer, and a devoted family man. We follow the musician at the height of his fame with the Beatles; in the recording studio with Linda and their band, Wings; with the family; behind the scenes and on stage during the 1975–76 “Wings Over America” tour; dancing the night away at a star-studded party on the Queen Mary to celebrate the band’s newest album; and with Linda on the couple’s farm in the U.K. in the early 1990s—a fittingly soft landing after so many years of flying high.
Featuring more than 100 color and black-and-white images by the legendary photojournalist, many never seen before, this collection is a window onto a one-of-a-kind artist, one who has remained somewhat enigmatic despite nearly a lifetime of being in the limelight.
Collector’s Edition of 600 copies (No. 101–700), each numbered and signed by Harry Benson The photographer
Glasgow-born Harry Benson has photographed every US President since Eisenhower, the Civil Rights movement, and was next to Robert Kennedy when he was assassinated. As well as The Beatles, he has shot some of the biggest personalities of the last 50 years, including Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and Her Majesty The Queen. In 2009, he was made Commander of the British Empire (CBE).
The editor
Reuel Golden is the former editor of the British Journal of Photography and the Photography editor at TASCHEN. His TASCHEN titles include: Mick Rock: The Rise of David Bowie, both London and New York Portrait...
Category
Late 20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Other Medium
Beatles Pillow Fight by Harry Benson
By Harry Benson
Located in Cleveland, OH
Harry Benson was born near Glasgow, Scotland. The photographer was assigned to travel with the Beatles on their first American tour in 1964. His iconic photograph shows the band in a gleeful pillow...
Category
1960s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
George Burns Visiting Gracie, Circa 1975
By Harry Benson
Located in Toronto, ON
16" x 20" Unframed
Limited Edition Silver Gelatin Print of 35
Hand Signed by Harry Benson
Category
Late 20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Tivoli Gardens (Signed)
By Harry Benson
Located in Toronto, ON
Situated on seventeen acres in the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark, Tivoli Gardens is one of the world's most spectacular and popular amusement parks. Comprised of a lush public garden,...
Category
Late 20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Other Medium
Francis Bacon by Harry Benson
By Harry Benson
Located in Cleveland, OH
Harry Benson was born near Glasgow, Scotland. The photographer was assigned to travel with the Beatles on their first American tour in 1964. His iconic photograph shows the band in a...
Category
1970s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Jackie Kennedy by Harry Benson
By Harry Benson
Located in Cleveland, OH
Harry Benson was born near Glasgow, Scotland. The photographer was assigned to travel with the Beatles on their first American tour in 1964. His iconic photograph shows the band in a gleeful pillow fight in a hotel room. Benson has photographed every U.S. president from Eisenhower to Barack Obama. He was feet away when Bobby Kennedy was assassinated; in the room when Nixon resigned; with Martin Luther King, Jr. on the Meredith march; and with Coretta Scott King...
Category
1960s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
The Beatles Ed Sullivan Show by Harry Benson
By Harry Benson
Located in Cleveland, OH
*Without production cameras filming
Harry Benson was born near Glasgow, Scotland. The photographer was assigned to travel with the Beatles on their first American tour in 1964. His ...
Category
1960s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Andy and Bianca at The Factory by Harry Benson
By Harry Benson
Located in Cleveland, OH
Harry Benson was born near Glasgow, Scotland. The photographer was assigned to travel with the Beatles on their first American tour in 1964. His iconic photograph shows the band in a...
Category
1970s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
The Beatles Ed Sullivan Show by Harry Benson
By Harry Benson
Located in Cleveland, OH
*With production cameras filming
Harry Benson was born near Glasgow, Scotland. The photographer was assigned to travel with the Beatles on their first American tour in 1964. His ico...
Category
1960s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Ali Hits George by Harry Benson
By Harry Benson
Located in Cleveland, OH
Harry Benson was born near Glasgow, Scotland. The photographer was assigned to travel with the Beatles on their first American tour in 1964. His iconic photograph shows the band in a...
Category
1960s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
People
By Harry Benson
Located in Toronto, ON
Born December 2, 1929 in Glasgow, Scotland, Harry Benson is a living legend in the world of photography. He is best known for his work with celebrities, and he has won numerous award...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Harry Benson Art
Materials
Other Medium
Paul Hits John, Pillow Fight by Harry Benson
By Harry Benson
Located in Cleveland, OH
Harry Benson was born near Glasgow, Scotland. The photographer was assigned to travel with the Beatles on their first American tour in 1964. His iconic photograph shows the band in a gleeful pillow...
Category
1960s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow by Harry Benson
By Harry Benson
Located in Cleveland, OH
Harry Benson was born near Glasgow, Scotland. The photographer was assigned to travel with the Beatles on their first American tour in 1964. His iconic photograph shows the band in a...
Category
1960s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Warhol and Friends by Harry Benson
By Harry Benson
Located in Cleveland, OH
Harry Benson was born near Glasgow, Scotland. The photographer was assigned to travel with the Beatles on their first American tour in 1964. His iconic photograph shows the band in a...
Category
1970s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow at Truman Capote's "Black and White" Ball
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer
Category
1960s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Calvin Klein, New York City, 1989
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer
Category
1980s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Anna Wintour, 1993
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer
Category
1990s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Andrew Wyeth
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer.
Category
1990s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Jack Nicholson Contact Sheet, Montana
By Harry Benson
Located in Cleveland, OH
Harry Benson's photographs capture some of the most iconic moments and personalities of the 20th century, from his intimate shots of The Beatles to his powerful images of political a...
Category
20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Jackie Kennedy, London
By Harry Benson
Located in Cleveland, OH
Harry Benson's photographs capture some of the most iconic moments and personalities of the 20th century, from his intimate shots of The Beatles to his powerful images of political a...
Category
20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Berlin Kiss
By Harry Benson
Located in Cleveland, OH
Harry Benson's photographs capture some of the most iconic moments and personalities of the 20th century, from his intimate shots of The Beatles to his powerful images of political a...
Category
20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Beatles Pillow Fight, George V Hotel, Paris
By Harry Benson
Located in Cleveland, OH
Harry Benson's photographs capture some of the most iconic moments and personalities of the 20th century, from his intimate shots of The Beatles to his powerful images of political a...
Category
20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Ali hits George, Miami
By Harry Benson
Located in Cleveland, OH
Harry Benson's photographs capture some of the most iconic moments and personalities of the 20th century, from his intimate shots of The Beatles to his powerful images of political a...
Category
20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Ali Float Like a Butterfly
By Harry Benson
Located in Cleveland, OH
Harry Benson's photographs capture some of the most iconic moments and personalities of the 20th century, from his intimate shots of The Beatles to his powerful images of political a...
Category
20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Helen Gurley Brown and her husband David in doorway, New York
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer on the recto
Category
1980s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Halston and Andre
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Edition of 35
Signed by the photographer on the recto
Category
1970s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Easy Rider : Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Edition of 35
Signed by the photographer on the recto
Category
1960s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Andy Warhol and Bianca Jagger at The Factory, New York
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer on the verso
Category
1970s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
The Beatles Composing, Paris, 1964
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer on the recto
Category
1960s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
The Beatles, Ed Sullivan Show, New York, 1964
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer on the recto
Category
1960s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
The Beatles, Miami, 1964
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer on the recto
Category
1960s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
The Beatles and Clay (Muhammad Ali), Miami, 1964
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer on the recto
Category
1960s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
The Beatles: Pillow Fight, Paris, 1964
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer on the verso
Category
1960s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Dye Transfer
The Beatles, Miami Beach
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer
Category
1960s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Photographic Paper
Halston and André Leon Talley, Tanglewood, Massachusetts
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Martin Luther King Jr., Mississippi
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer on the recto
Please inquire about additional limited sizes and editions
Category
Early 20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Dolly Parton, Nashville
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer on the recto
Please inquire about additional limited sizes and editions
Category
Late 20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Jacqueline Kennedy, Laurentian Mountains, Canada
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer on the recto
Please inquire about additional limited sizes and editions
Category
Late 20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Archival Pigment
Arnold Palmer, 1974
By Harry Benson
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Gelatin silver print
Image 15-1/2" x 23", Paper 20" x 24", Matted 24" x 30"
Edition 10 of 35
Category
Late 20th Century Harry Benson Art
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Greta Garbo, Antigua, 1976
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer
Category
1970s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Henri Langlois, Robert Guerra, and Eila Hershon
By Harry Benson
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer
Category
1970s Harry Benson Art
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Harry Benson art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Harry Benson art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of red and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Harry Benson in archival pigment print, pigment print, paper and more. Not every interior allows for large Harry Benson art, so small editions measuring 8 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Albert Watson, Gered Mankowitz, and Elliott Erwitt. Harry Benson art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $10,900 and tops out at $30,000, while the average work can sell for $14,900.
Artists Similar to Harry Benson
Questions About Harry Benson Art
- 1stDibs ExpertJanuary 27, 2025The famous photographer Benson is Harry Benson. Always in the right place at the right time, Benson has used his camera to give the world a glimpse into events rocking the globe. His black-and-white and color photographs include shots of celebrities, politicians, royalty, political upheavals and social revolutions. 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 September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Benson has also photographed every president since Eisenhower and took numerous images of Queen Elizabeth II. Shop a variety of Harry Benson photography on 1stDibs.