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Robert Benney

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Robert Benney (1904-2001)

Born in New York in 1904, Robert Benney studied at some of the city's most prominent art schools, such as the Cooper Union, the National Academy of Design, and the Art Students League. At the age of nineteen, he opened his own studio and from there began his carrier as an illustrator for magazines and newspapers in the New York area, later moving on to commissions for major industries and companies.

In 1943 Abbott Laboratories hired him to work on paintings depicting the Naval Aviation Department's role in the major battles of the Pacific. In 1944, Abbott turned to him again, this time to document the Army Medical Department in the South Pacific. While there, he covered the invasions of Saipan and the Marianas. 

In 1954, the Society of Illustrators volunteered its services to the U.S. Air Force. With this project, Benney traveled to North Africa to illustrate the work that was going on there. In 1968, he again offered his services as a war correspondent and served with the Marines in Vietnam. His artworks are now held by all branches of the Armed Services.

Between his stints as a war correspondent, Benney worked on illustrations for major American companies and industrial associations, such as the sugar industry. He taught at the Pratt Institute from 1949 to 1952, and was Associate Professor of Fine and Commercial art at the Dutchess County College from 1964 to 1973.


A sample of the artwork by Robert Benney is in this section.  The captions were written by the artist.