Benjamin F. Long IV
American (b. 1945)
Scion of a distinguished American family of artists and educators, Ben Long began his aesthetic education at the Art Students League of New York, under the guidance of notable artists Robert Beverly Hale and Frank Mason. Later he apprenticed under the internationally-renowned Pietro Annigoni in Florence, Italy. Long committed himself to Annigoni for almost eight years. His apprenticeship culminated in 1976, when he was awarded the prestigious Leonardo da Vinci International Art Award. In 1984, Long moved to France, where, for the next 14 years, he split time between Paris and the Gard region of Provence. By the time of the move, Long had completed several frescoes in Italy – including a joint fresco with Annigoni and the only work by a non-Italian at the Abbey of Montecassino.
These works set the stage for several major fresco projects in the United States (14 to this day), including a dome and the largest secular fresco in the US. In addition to his prolific fresco work, Long’s paintings and drawings have been exhibited at the Royal Academy as well as the Royal Portrait Society, London, as well as many exhibits in Florence, Paris, and in major cities across the United States.
In 2001, Long was awarded the coveted Arthur Ross Award for Excellence in the Classical Tradition by Metropolitan Museum of Art Curator Philippe de Montebello who referred to Long as “the greatest draftsman of the 20th Century.” In 2014, he received the Long Leaf Pine Award from the State of North Carolina, recognition of the tremendous cultural impact of his artwork.
Long’s work is represented in renowned permanent collections both public and private throughout Europe and the Americas. Long is also included in the Art Renewal Center’s exclusive list of “Living Masters”.
He has lived and worked in Europe for over thirty years and now divides his time between studios in Europe and the United States.
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