ABOUT HARRY BENSON CBE
Scottish-born photographer, Harry Benson CBE, has photographed many of the most iconic figures in recent history including Queen Elizabeth II on many occasions, inclusive of the time she visited Scotland in 1958 to open the Rothes Colliery Fife. Harry is the only person to have photographed the last 13 presidents of the United States, from Eisenhower to Biden. He has secured himself as one of the most important photographers of the past 70 years. Documenting major world events and world leaders has put Benson firmly in the center of things, being in the “right place at the right time” and not afraid to get the shot.
Harry’s father, S.H. Benson, OBE, was the founder and director of Calder Park Zoo in Glasgow. Harry attended the Glasgow School of Art and served two years in the Royal Air Force before beginning his photography career.
Benson arrived in America on February 7, 1964, on that New York-bound Pan Am flight carrying the new band, the Beatles. Leaving behind the London Daily Express where he had been mentored by Lord Beaverbrook, who taught him the foundation of his work ethic which to quote Lord Beaverbrook, “Be the first to arrive, the last to leave, and flattery, put it on with a shovel.” Benson’s energy and intelligence come across in his work. He sees every assignment as having one job: to document history with his distinctive eye.
Benson worked for the most successful magazines in America including LIFE magazine where he chronicled the most beautiful and turbulent times in the world—from being steps away from Senator Robert Kennedy when he was assassinated; marching with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement; photographing the Berlin Wall going up and coming down; to being the sole photographer covering the recording session for the album WE ARE THE WORLD with proceeds going to the help ease the starvation in Somalia.
As one of the most published photographers of all time, his work is in museums worldwide, most notably in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery in London; the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC; and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. He has also donated 10 signed photographs to the Scottish Parliament for their collection. He has donated two photographs to the National Portrait Gallery in London (The Beatles Pillow Fight and Muhammed Ali and the Beatles) that are currently touring with the Paul McCartney exhibition which originated at the NPG last year.
The documentary film, HARRY BENSON: SHOOT FIRST, on Harry’s career, released by Magnolia Pictures in theaters to five-star reviews, is currently available on Hulu. Benson has won every award a photographer can win, including being made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty the Queen for his service to photography.
He has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Center of Photography in New York.
He has three honorary doctorates from the Glasgow School of Art and Glasgow University, St. Andrews University, Scotland, and Caledonian University, Glasgow.
Harry lives between New York City and Florida with his wife of 55 years, Dian. They are currently working on several books and major exhibits including a retrospective opening in Washington, DC on October 23, 2024.
Their two daughters and their families live and work in Los Angeles.