Harry Benson
Harry Benson (born 1929) is renowned for his exquisite portraits and incisive photojournalism that bring slices of history to life. Across more than six decades, Benson built his career on instinct and access, guided by the belief that “getting at the center of the story, not the edges” is essential to meaningful photography. His images are widely collected and preserved in museum collections, and they have helped define the public’s visual memory of some of the most pivotal figures and events of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Born in Glasgow during the bombings of World War II, Benson’s life changed course when he was assigned to photograph The Beatles in 1964, accompanying them from Paris to their first trip to the United States. The photographs that resulted from this assignment—including the band’s pillow fight at the George V Hotel—became iconic. After that experience, Benson moved to America and never looked back.
Over the course of his career, Benson photographed eleven U.S. presidents, from Eisenhower to Obama, as well as cultural and political icons such as Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II, the King of Spain, Princess Diana, Princess Grace and Princess Caroline of Monaco, Prince Philip, Andy Warhol, Muhammad Ali, the Rolling Stones, The Who, Greta Garbo, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Jack Nicholson, Amy Winehouse, and Brad Pitt. His versatility ranged from war zones and civil rights marches to fashion, celebrity, and high society.
His photojournalistic instinct placed him at some of the most defining historical events of the 20th century. He was with Robert F. Kennedy the night he was assassinated, capturing the anguish on Ethel Kennedy’s face. He marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Civil Rights movement and was present in conflict zones like the Gulf War, Bosnia, and Afghanistan. During the Dominican Republic’s civil war, he was captured by both sides in the same day. These moments, and many more, are part of the reason why Benson’s photographs carry such narrative weight and human emotion.
Benson has received numerous honors, including being named Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2009. He is a two-time recipient of the Leica Medal of Excellence and has been named Magazine Photographer of the Year by the National Press Photographers Association. He holds honorary doctorates from the University of St. Andrews, the Glasgow School of Art, and the University of Glasgow, and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society in London.
Benson’s career included a long-standing contract with LIFE magazine, and his images have appeared on the covers of Time, Newsweek, Vanity Fair, Paris Match, The London Sunday Times Magazine, People, Vogue, and Architectural Digest, among others. He has published 17 books and enjoyed over 40 solo exhibitions. His photographs are held in major institutional collections, including the Royal Museum of Scotland, the National Portrait Gallery of both Edinburgh and Washington, D.C., the British Museum of Photography in Bradford, the Tucson Museum of Art, and the International Photography Hall of Fame in St. Louis.
Photography & Works
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Harry Benson
Ali Hits George, Miami Add to cart -
Harry Benson
Beatles arriving in New York Add to cart -
Harry Benson
Beatles Composing #1, Paris Add to cart -
Harry Benson
Beatles Composing #2, Paris Add to cart -
Harry Benson
Beatles Composing #3, Paris Add to cart -
Harry Benson
Beatles Composing, Paris (Times Three) Add to cart -
Harry Benson
Beatles on Ed Sullivan, (cameras showing) NYC Add to cart -
Harry Benson
Beatles on Ed Sullivan, (no cameras showing) NYC Add to cart -
Harry Benson
Beatles Pillow Fight, George V Hotel, Paris Add to cart -
Harry Benson
Beatles Pillow Fight, Paris Add to cart -
Harry Benson
John (Blur) Add to cart -
Harry Benson
John hits Paul, (Pillow Fight), Paris Add to cart -
Harry Benson
Paul hits John, (Pillow Fight), Paris Add to cart -
Harry Benson
Pillow Fight x 9 – Beatles 40th Anniversary Photograph Add to cart -
Harry Benson
The Beatles – Miami 1964 Add to cart -
Harry Benson
The Beatles – Miami 1966 (Waving from the Water) Add to cart -
Harry Benson
The Beatles – Pillow Fight x3 Add to cart -
Harry Benson
Dean Martin on set “Bandolero” Read more -
Harry Benson
John Lennon, “Why” Add to cart -
Harry Benson
Margaux Hemingway, NYC Read more -
Harry Benson
Paul McCartney, The Set of “A Hard Day’s Night”, London Add to cart -
Harry Benson
Ringo, New York Read more -
Harry Benson
Sean Connery as James Bond in 1965’s Thunderball (in bed with Luciana Paluzzi) Read more -
Harry Benson
Andy Times Four with Pia Zadora in background, The Factory, NYC Add to cart
News & Articles

Simple Pleasures: The simple joys of a walk in the park

The Photography Show Presented by AIPAD 2025

Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary 2025

A New Dimension in Photography: The Vibrancy of Color & Light

Simple Pleasures: Thresholds of space and time

The Eyes of the Audience: Performers Seen Behind the Lens

Iconic Photographs: Pictures that Stand the Test of Time

Harry Benson: On Set with The Godfather

Rhythms of the City

The Party of the Century – Truman Capote’s Black & White Ball, NYC, 1966

Art Miami 2023

Harry Benson: Picturing History at the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens

Bobby Fischer through Harry Benson’s Lens

The Curious and Creative Eye – The Visual Language of Humor

The Entertainer – Living Large for the Camera

The Immediate Image

Photo London 2022

Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary Art Fair 2022

Fashion with an Edge

Movies Made America

Before ‘Get Back’ Documented The Beatles’ Final Days, Harry Benson Photographed Their Early Days

Art Miami 2021

Looking Back at the Life of R.F.K.

Facing Forward: Photographing Diversity

Harry Benson & Halston

Exhale

Kerry Kennedy on Harry Benson

Harry Benson’s Pillow Fight x Three

In Discussion: Harry Benson and Holden Luntz

3 Great Scots

Photo London Digital 2020

Meet our Artists: Harry Benson

Creating the Iconic: “Pillow Fight” & “Mainbocher Corset”

Art Miami 2019

Harry Benson’s Amy Winehouse, London

Harry Benson’s Sir Winston Churchill at Harrow School
