Harry Benson’s extraordinary encounter with Andy Warhol and Bianca Jagger.

Harry Benson Andy & Bianca, The Factory, New York, 1977  
archival pigment print, 40 x 86 in. 

Iconic photographs of the Beatles are perhaps the best known images by Harry Benson, but since he arrived with the band in the US in 1964, Benson has gone on to have a truly distinguished career. Over the last five decades, Benson has captured riveting images of world leaders, celebrities, artists and, crucial historical moments.  Benson’s images have been published in every major publication includingLife Magazine, People Magazine, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and Architectural Digest and he has had over forty one-man exhibitions of his photographs in galleries and museums around the world. 

 Harry Benson first met Andy Warhol when he came to New York with the Beatles, and photographed the legendary artist from the 1960s through the 1980’s. He was invited by Bianca Jagger—then wife of Mick Jagger—to have lunch at The Factory, Warhol’s studio, and they were then joined by fellow artists Jamie Wyeth and Larry Rivers. Warhol was snapping photographs that day as well, for his magazine,Interview, and as we see in this shot, Benson has captured Andy taking a photograph of Bianca and himself.  This unique composition includes two frames, one with Andy in focus and the second focused on Bianca. As in many of Benson's photographs, this piece has a harmonious balance of light and dark. As a photojournalist Benson not only endeavors to be in the right place at the right time, but he also has a natural talent for capturing the beauty of a spontaneous moment.  

 Harry Benson’s extraordinary scope of photographs features notable subjects including every American president from Eisenhower to Obama, Sir Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, Mohammed Ali, Andrew Wyeth, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Greta Garbo, Frank Sinatra, ElizabethTaylor, and Jack Nicholson to name a few. Benson and his lens were also witness to the assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy, the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, civil rights marches with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Watts Riots in Los Angeles, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and conflicts in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Pakistan, and Iraq.

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