Arthur Benjamins
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arthur Benjamins (born June 22nd, 1953 in Rotterdam) is a Dutch artist who specializes in depicting motor racing and Land-and Water speed record breaking scenes.
Benjamins comes from a lineage of artists. His Great Grand uncle Jacob J. Arend's work can be found in the museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam. His grandfather created a new style of advertising that formed the bedrock of modern illustrative adverts. At a Ford showroom in Rotterdam in 1973, Arthur met the future Indianapolis 500 winner, Arie Luyendijk and reigning Formula 1 champion, Jackie Stewart who gave him encouragement and advice.
Before his star could rise in his home country, in 1974 he left for the UK where he has been domiciled since. In the mid-1970s he became a BRSCC motorracing marshal, attending many races at his local track, Brands Hatch in Kent. From his regular Post 3 haunt there, he witnessed many young drivers like James Hunt, Nelson Piquet, and Nigel Mansell in the early part of their careers prior to becoming Grand Prix drivers and World champions.
In the early 1980s, he received much publicity through many articles in motor racing magazines as Autosport, Motoring News, Motor and after some time, the UK motoring press omitted to mention his Dutch roots and decided to call him 'One of ours'. Benjamins' technique is different from other artists insofar in that he eschews the use of 'traditional' paints, preferring the far more trickier enamel paint.
From his first major exhibition at the rejuvenated 1983 Motor Sports Show at the Cunard Hotel in London, Benjamins had little cause to look back. His works were featured on 'News at Ten' on several occasions and in 1987 BBC motoring programme Top Gear featured him in a 6 minute slot.
About that time his interest in Land-and Water Speed record breakers came to the fore and his first book jacket cover appeared on a related book called, Power Boat Speed by Kevin Desmond which covered powerboating from 1896 onwards. One of his paintings appeared in the Italian version of Pilote Che Gente by Enzo Ferrari and just before his passing in 1988, Mr. Ferrari presented Benjamins with a signed copy.
In 1990 and with the full approval of designer Mr. Ken Norris, who designed the Bluebird car and boat in which speed record breaker, Donald Campbell broke many speed records, he set up Bluebird Publications that published many of his record breaker prints.Other book jackets followed. Leap into Legend by Steve Holter and Race against the odds again by Kevin Desmond. Benjamins has also embraced the painting of aviation scenes.
In 1998 he had a one-man exhibition at the 'Napier Gallery' on Jersey. The show was officially opened by the Formula-1 team boss, Eddie Jordan. Since his rise in the UK and outside, Benjamins' sharp, crisp, clean and colourful painting style has been mimicked by many other emerging painters.
In 2000, he embarked on a change of painting style which may only be described as slightly abstract. Motoring magazine Classic & Sports Car featured a two page article on his new style. Adding to his sporting scenes, Benjamins has also become a proponent of 'full-on' abstract art. In recognition of his service to powerboating via his Speed record breaker paintings, in 2007 he was awarded the Heritage Motorboat Trophy
Apart from an accomplished artist, his designs in the security world of closures has set his name to around a dozen patents. He has also worked for Formula-1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Management as a designer before branching out as a free lance designer of bespoke accessories for motor cycles.
He has also written his father's 181.000 word biography, To Die Fighting, which takes the reader through his father's early life, through Westerbork, Terezin, Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps and into his later years, covering life in Africa, enduring a sojourn through the war-torn Belgian Congo in search of millions of dollars worth of hidden diamonds. Benjamins is currently searching for a suitable publisher.
Arthur Benjamins is also a supporting artiste, appearing in TV adverts, soaps like Family Affairs, Holby City and TV series Judge John Deed, The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard and After you've gone with Nicholas Lyndhurst. He has also appeared in the recent The Bourne Ultimatum as an American senator and as a researcher in the forthcoming, Death Defying Acts with Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta-Jones. He was recently featured alongside Burt Reynolds in A Bunch of Amateurs.
