Ben Schonzeit

Perry Lawson Fine Art is pleased to present Ben Schonzeit: A World Elsewhere, an exhibition of paintings and sculptures by Ben Schonzeit, an American painter, sculptor, and multidisciplinary artist based in New York City.

As one of the pioneers of the Photorealist movement of the late1960s, along with artists such as Chuck Close and Richard Estes, Schonzeit is widely recognized for his innovative use of the airbrush as a painting tool.

While best known for his photorealist paintings, Schonzeit has worked across a wide range of mediums and techniques throughout his career. Through painting, collage, photography, drawing, and sculpture, Schonzeit has chronicled and distilled, over the decades, the rich and ever-evolving visual culture of his native New York, and beyond. His recent work brings many of these interests together: Sculptures are depicted in paintings, collaged material becomes three-dimensional work and animation. The result is a body of work that reflects both the breadth of his practice and his ongoing interest in how images can be transformed.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1942, Schonzeit received a BFA from The Cooper Union in 1964. His work is included in prominent collections around the world, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; the Denver Art Museum; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; the Legion of Honor, San Francisco; the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin; and the Kunstmuseum Basel.

An opening reception is held at the gallery on Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm.