Harry Benson Scottish, b. 1929

Harry Benson was born in 1929 in Glasgow, where his father ran the city zoo. He lives between New York and Florida.

He began his career working for the Hamilton Advertiser before moving to London, where he worked for the Daily Sketch and the Daily Express. The true breakthrough of his career dates to 1964, when he accompanied The Beatles on their first tour of the United States. Since then, Benson has photographed a wide range of public figures, particularly world leaders and U.S. presidents from Eisenhower to Barack Obama, as well as celebrities and pivotal historical moments. In the United States, he has worked for magazines such as Life, People, Vanity Fair, and Architectural Digest.

He has received the Lucie Award for Lifetime Achievement, the American Photo Magazine Award, a lifetime achievement honor from the Scottish Press Photographers Association, and the Leica Medal of Excellence on two occasions.

Benson has held dozens of solo exhibitions in both the United States and Europe. Notably, retrospectives of his work have been presented at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., and the Kelvingrove Museum of Art in Glasgow. His work forms part of the permanent collections of these museums and other institutions.