Michael Benabib


Michael Benabib is an American portrait photographer, known for his portraits of David Bowie, Tupac Shakur, Sean Combs, and Keith Richards among others. Notable portrait photography of public figures include Bill Clinton, Alan Dershowitz and Loretta Lynch. His work has appeared in publications including Vanity Fair, Vogue, GQ, Rolling Stone, Vibe, ESPN magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, NPR and Newsweek. His work was included to photography collections on display by The Smithsonian and MoMa.

Hip-hop photography

In the 1980’s, Michael freelanced with Rush Management and Def Jam Records; his photography of musicians include Rakim, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, among many others.
In 2007, Watson-Guptill Publications and Billboards Books published “In Ya Grill: The Faces Of Hip-Hop” the hip-hop photography of Michael Benabib and text by Bill Adler.

Career

In 1995, his editorial photography assignments for magazines include The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Adweek, Forbes, ESPN Magazine, and Bloomberg Markets Magazine.
In 1997, his editorial magazine photography led to advertising assignments for brands including Heineken, Nissan, Sprite, Lugz, PETA and Planned Parenthood.
In the early 2000s, his assignments include Forbes Life Magazine and Fortune 500 companies such as American Express, CitiBank and Pfizer, among others.

Exhibitions

In 2003, The Eyejammie Fine Arts Gallery founded by Bill Adler, largely devoted to hip-hop photography, curated a one-man show showcasing the work of photographer Michael Benabib. In September 2015, the Eyejammie Photo Collection was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African-American History and Culture.
In 2017, the Museum of Modern Art exhibition titled “Is Fashion Modern?” includes his photography of Tupac Shakur.
In 2017, Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African-American History and Culture exhibition titled “More Than A Picture” includes his photography acquired from the Eyejammie Photo Collection.
In 2018, The Smithsonian exhibition titled “Represent” includes his hip-hop photography of MC Lyte, Tupac Shakur, and Mary J. Blige. This exhibition showcases different photographs than those displayed at The Smithsonian's exhibition in 2017.
In June 2018, Bond Street Print Shop photography exhibition fundraiser to benefit Southern Poverty Law Center including print sales of his portrait photography.
In 2019, The Annenberg Space For Photography in Culver City, California hosted an exhibit entitled, based upon the contents of the book in association with the museum's 10th anniversary. The exhibit included his photography.

Books

Books

  1. Bill Adler; Dan Charnas. '. Random House Incorporated..
  2. Paola Antonelli; Michelle Millar Fisher. '. Moma..
  3. Tommy Hilfiger; David A. Keeps. . Universe Pub..