Robert Kennedy, Los Angeles
About this artwork
In 1968 a press conference was held in Los Angeles for Senator Bobby Kennedy after his victory in the Californian primary. Following his speech, Benson trailed the entourage through the kitchen of the hotel. Although he did not hear the gun shots, Harry recalls thinking: “This is it”. He climbed on to a cooker hob and began taking pictures of the slain Senator - “I kept thinking, he’d understand how important this is, recording history, doing my job”. This photograph appears calm and composed even though it captures a moment of mayhem. Looking down from above, Benson evokes the sense of something spiritual watching over Kennedy’s lifeless body. The white shirts of the two figures, together with Kennedy’s, create a triangle that focuses attention on the Senator’s unresponsive face.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Harry BensonScottish (born 1929)
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title:Robert Kennedy, Los Angeles
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date created:1968; printed 2007
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materials:Gelatin silver print
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measurements:22.50 x 33.90 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased from the photographer 2007
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accession number:PGP 374.3
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gallery:
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depicted:
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subject:
Harry Benson
Harry Benson
Benson’s career as a photojournalist has been extraordinary. Born in Glasgow, he left school aged thirteen and began working for a local paper, the Hamilton Advertiser. In 1958 he graduated to the cut-throat centre of the tabloid press on London’s Fleet Street, working for the Daily Sketch and then...