John Benton-Harris

John Benton-Harris (September 28, 1939 – August 26, 2023) was an American photographer and educator who lived and worked in the United Kingdom.

Life and work

John Benton-Harris was born in The Bronx, New York City on September 28, 1939.[1][2] He worked as an industrial photographer with the Sinclair Oil Corporation for a period from 1961. He then completed mandatory military service as a photographer with the United States Army, in Italy. Afterwards he travelled in Europe, then in 1965 settled in London, working as a staff photographer for London Life magazine. He subsequently worked as a photojournalist for various newspapers and magazines.[3][4][5]

In 1987/88 Benton-Harris was appointed adjunct Professor of Photography at the University of Michigan's School of Art.[5]

Benton-Harris died on August 26, 2023, at the age of 83. He never retired, and was working on taking pictures and book projects until shortly before his death.[6]

Publications

Zines by Benton-Harris

• The English. Southport: Café Royal, 2018. Edition of 250 copies.
• Saint Patrick's People. Southport: Café Royal, 2019. Edition of 250 copies.
• Children of the Troubles: Northern Ireland. Southport: Café Royal, 2020. Edition of 250 copies.
• Walking New York 1961–1981. Southport: Café Royal, 2020. Edition of 250 copies.
• Walking London 1965–1988. Southport: Café Royal, 2021.[7]

Books edited with others

• Through the Looking Glass: Photographic art in Britain 1945–1989. London: Barbican Art Gallery, 1989. Coedited by Benton-Harris and Gerry Badger. ISBN 0-85331-560-4.

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

• A Walk in New York, Impressions Gallery, York, UK, 1973[8]
• England, St Patrick's Day, Streets of NYC, The Photographers' Gallery, London, 1981/82[9]

Group exhibitions

• Summer Show 6: Old masters were young once, Serpentine Galleries, London, 1971. Benton-Harris' work was shown on its own in the Print room.[10]
• Two Views: Photographs of British Towns as Seen by Eight Photographers, The Photographers' Gallery, London, 1973. With work by Benton-Harris, Ian Berry, Colin Curwood, Chris Killip, Josef Koudelka, Ron McCormick, and Christine Pearcey.[9]
• The Portrait Season, Impressions Gallery, York, UK, 1985. With work by Benton-Harris, Clive Landen, and Philip Sayer.[11]

Exhibitions co-curated by Benton-Harris

• American Images: Photography 1945 to 1980, Barbican Art Gallery, London, 1985 and touring[12]
• Through the Looking Glass: Photographic Art in Britain 1945–1989, Barbican Art Gallery, London, 1989; Manchester City Art Gallery, 1989/90[13]

Collections

Benton-Harris' work is held in the following permanent collections:

• Arts Council Collection, UK: 80 prints (as of September 28, 2021)[14]
• Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York: 1 print (as of September 28, 2021)[15]
• Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, Illinois: 2 prints (as of September 28, 2021)[16]
• National Portrait Gallery, London: 9 prints (as of September 28, 2021)[17]

References

1. "John Benton-Harris". APAG - American Photography Archives Group. July 31, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
2. "Ontdek fotograaf John Benton-Harris". rkd.nl. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
3. "John Benton-Harris". collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
4. "The photographer documenting the eccentricities of London street life". Huck Magazine. September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
5. "John Benton-Harris". www.johnbenton-harris.com. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
6. "John Benton-Harris obituary". The Guardian. October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
7. "The big picture: out to lunch in London, 1974". The Guardian. August 8, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
8. "A Walk in New York". collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
9. "The Photographers' Gallery: Exhibition History, 1971 – Present" (PDF). The Photographers' Gallery. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
10. "Summer Show 6 [1971]: Old masters were young once". Serpentine Galleries. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
11. "The Portrait Season". collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
12. Lee, A. Robert (1986). "Shooting America: "American Images: Photography 1945-1980" Barbican Art Gallery, 10 May to 30 June 1985". Journal of American Studies. 20 (2): 294–298. doi:10.1017/S0021875800015085. ISSN 0021-8758. JSTOR 27554763. S2CID 145447170.
13. Badger, Gerry; Benton-Harris, John; Barbican Art Gallery; Manchester City Art Gallery (1989). Through the looking glass: photographic art in Britain 1945-1989. London: Barbican Art Gallery. ISBN 9780946372171 – via Open WorldCat.
14. "Benton-Harris, John". www.artscouncilcollection.org.uk. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
15. "Brooklyn Museum". www.brooklynmuseum.org. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
16. "Museum of Contemporary Photography". www.mocp.org. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
17. "John Benton-Harris - National Portrait Gallery". www.npg.org.uk. Retrieved September 28, 2021.

External links

• Official website