John Benton-Harris – A native Bronx born New Yorker (1939) completed his formal education and obtained a diploma in commercial photography in 1960. His commitment to “Serious” seeing dates back to well before that time. His professional career kicked off with The Sinclair Oil Corporation as a apprevtice Industrial Photographer. A short time after that he received a scholarship from Alexey Brodovitch to attend his now legendary “Design Limitary” at Richard Avedon’s studio in Manhattan. And after almost completing his 2 year military obligation as a Photographer (1963-65) with the US Army in Italy, John flew to London on self assignment to record The State Funeral of Sir Winston Churchill.  In August of that year he returned again to carry forward his new desire to explain something more of the nature of the English character to the outside world. He quickly landed a staff position with LONDON LIFE Magazine. Since that time he has carried forward several on going visual investigations on both sides of the Atlantic divide, while managing to do some relevant Curetting, teaching and lecturing whilst miraculously managing to continuing to stop, entertain and inform us with his Voiced Stoppages from Time, while remaining open to a multitude of influence from both this history and the broader deeper and longer history of artistic visual expression.  

“Old Masters Were Young Once” – Serpentine Gallery, London -1971

“Derby Day 200” – Royal Academy of Art, London – 1979

“Americans in Europe” – Santa Fe Centre for Photography – 1983

“Eyeing the British Character” – Sussed Gallery, University of Michigan -1988

“The Mad Hatters Tea Party” – OK HARRIS Works of Art, New York -1991

“Out for the Day” – mac THE CENTER FOR BIRMINGHAM -1998

“Mad Hatters – a diary of a secret people”, Bielsko-Biala, Poland” – 2011

More complete information on John’s History and outlook and overlook can be found on – www.johnbenton-Harris.com  & his Blog site: http://thephotopundit.blogspot.co.uk/