Yousuf Karsh: American Portraits

YOUSUF KARSH: AMERICAN PORTRAITS

June 23 – September 16

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Grace Kelly. Jackie Robinson. Elizabeth Arden. Albert Einstein.

These are a few of the celebrities, creatives, inventors, business people, and politicians who played pivotal roles in the history and identity of America in the 20th century. Their unforgettable portraits will be on view this summer in the special exhibition, Yousuf Karsh: American Portraits.

Yousuf Karsh, Joan Crawford, gelatin silver print, 1948. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Estrellita Karsh in memory of Yousuf Karsh © Estate of Yousuf Karsh.

Yousuf Karsh (1908–2002) created many of the iconic portraits of influential men and women of the 20th century. His career spanned nearly six decades and more than 20 of his images appeared on the cover of LIFE magazine. With a signature, artistic style and known for his ability to develop a genuine rapport with his sitters, Karsh created portraits that were both revealing and respectful.

An Armenian refugee, Karsh immigrated to Canada in 1925. His uncle was a professional photographer who, in 1928, facilitated Karsh’s apprenticeship with the renowned Boston portrait photographer John H. Garo. By the time Karsh returned to Canada in 1931, he had “set [his] heart on photographing those men and women who leave their mark on the world,” and two years later, he opened a portrait studio in Ottawa.

Yousuf Karsh, Andy Warhol, gelatin silver print, 1979. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Estrellita Karsh in memory of Yousuf Karsh © Estate of Yousuf Karsh.

The phenomenal success of his 1941 portrait of Winston Churchill, included in this exhibition, launched Karsh’s career. Thereafter, he traveled the world fulfilling portrait commissions and editorial assignments, even serving as a visiting professor at Ohio University in Athens, OH. Although he worked internationally, his images of Americans are among his finest.

Yousuf Karsh: American Portraits features 48 black-and-white photographs from the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, the majority of which were gifted to the National Portrait Gallery from Karsh’s wife, Estrellita Karsh. This exhibition has been organized by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.

Yousuf Karsh, Eleanor Roosevelt, gelatin silver print, 1944. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Estrellita Karsh in memory of Yousuf Karsh © Estate of Yousuf Karsh.

For more information, go to www.daytonartinstitute.org. Join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #AmericanPortraitsDAI.