Harry Benson Beatles arriving in New York, 1964

"When the Beatles stepped off the plane they were greeted by shouting newsmen and photographers but only a few fans. The fans had been held back by the police. I was the fifth off the plane and had arranged for them to turn around and look at me before disembarking. London was expecting thousands of screaming fans and nothing short of that would have been acceptable for the front page of the paper after the way the Beatles had been received in Europe. I never bothered to wire the photos back to London since there had been no hysterical crowds, but the photo has taken on a whole new meaning with time." - Harry Benson, Beatles Arrival in New York - 1964, 7 February 1964, Being There

Harry Benson

Harry Benson's exquisite portraits and incisive photojournalism bring the world to a standstill, breathing life into slices of history, while at the same time preserving them for history. In order to capture these moments, Harry has spent over 60 years making sure to be in the right place at the right time. More than anything, Benson guides history with his pictures by getting at the center of the story, not the edges. Born in Glasgow amid the drama of WWII with bombs dropping overhead, he managed to escape through the lens of a camera. Benson's curious fortune struck when he was given a particular assignment in 1964: to capture The Beatles in France and on their first journey to the United States. This experience not only made for some of the most famous Beatles photography, but sent Benson's life in a completely new direction. Once he came to America, he never went back. His 60-year career as a photojournalist included a contract with LIFE Magazine and photographs on the covers and inside major magazines worldwide, including: Life, Time, Newsweek, Town & Country, Vanity Fair, Quest, Paris Match, G.Q., Esquire, W, The London Sunday Times Magazine, People, Vogue, Architectural Digest and Vice Magazine. During the civil war in the Dominican Republic, he was captured by both sides in one day. He caught the horror on Ethel Kennedy's face in the Ambassador Hotel after her husband Senator Robert Kennedy had been shot.