Ben Schonzeit was born and raised in Brooklyn in a neighbourhood that was predominantly Jewish. As a child he painted murals across the windows of his public school and at Midwood High School he went on to design and paint stage sets. His professional career began in 1969, exhibiting in New York and Europe as part of a group of artists called Photo-Realists. His work is included in museums throughout the world including in New York the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum and the Guggenheim Museum among others.