Like the cowboys who were often the focus of his work, Kurt Markus’s photographs are imbued with a quiet strength. The acclaimed contemporary American lensman was universally known for his poignant black and white images, each one an intimate glimpse into the lives of their subjects.
Markus was born in 1947 in Whitefish, which is in rural Montana. Though his early childhood was spent outside, he knew that he didn't want to be a rancher. He attended the United States military academy West Point and served in the Army Rangers, but he realized the military was also not for him. Instead, he taught himself photography and fell in love with the craft.
Markus is best known for his moving photography of American cowboys. One of his books of cowboy photography, Cowpuncher, was named the best art book of the year by the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2002. Markus also trained his lens on the sport of boxing, photographing world champions like Mike Tyson in addition to lesser-known competitors all around the world, from Havana to Dublin.
Markus was a successful and distinguished fashion photographer as well, working with publications like GQ, Vanity Fair, Esquire, Elle, Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. His long list of clients included the names Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Liz Claiborne and Armani. One of the most influential images of his career, Young Man, Y’s for Living, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 1988, was initially used in a fashion advertisement for Japanese design icon Yohji Yamamoto.
No matter what he was photographing, Markus was resolutely traditional in his technique. Even as digital photography became more common, he remained in the darkroom developing silver gelatin prints. He strove to keep the process simple and free of gimmickry.
Markus received numerous accolades over the course of his career, including Life magazine’s Alfred Eisenstaedt Award and several Clio Awards. His work has been exhibited at the Staley-Wise Gallery in New York City, the Obscura Gallery in Santa Fe and the Peter Fetterman Gallery in Santa Monica.
In 2013, Markus settled with his wife in Santa Fe, where he focused more on landscape photography. He died in 2022.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of original Kurt Markus photography.
Price Upon Request
Wallé, New York, NY
By Kurt Markus
Located in New York, NY
Please see additional editions listed below. Larger sizes may be available upon request.
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Two Women
By Kurt Markus
Located in New York, NY
This photograph is signed by the photographer. Please see additional editions listed below. Larger sizes may be available upon request.
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Stanley Stenart, Y's For Living, Vicksburg, Mississippi
By Kurt Markus
Located in New York, NY
This photograph is signed by the photographer. Please see additional editions listed below. Larger sizes may be available upon request.
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Rod Turner, Y's for Living, Vicksburg, Mississippi
By Kurt Markus
Located in New York, NY
This photograph is signed by the photographer. Please see additional editions listed below. Larger sizes may be available upon request.
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Mabel Peterson, Y's For Living, Vicksburg, Mississippi
By Kurt Markus
Located in New York, NY
Please see additional editions listed below. Larger sizes may be available upon request.
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Donell Wince, Y's For Living, Vicksburg, Mississippi
By Kurt Markus
Located in New York, NY
This photograph is signed by the photographer. Please see additional editions listed below. Larger sizes may be available upon request.
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Christy Turlington, San Francisco
By Kurt Markus
Located in New York, NY
This photograph is signed by the photographer. Please see additional editions listed below. Larger sizes may be available upon request.
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Christy Turlington, El Salvador
By Kurt Markus
Located in New York, NY
This photograph is signed by the photographer. Please see additional editions listed below. Larger sizes may be available upon request.
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Christy Turlington, British VOGUE
By Kurt Markus
Located in New York, NY
This photograph is signed by the photographer. Please see additional editions listed below. Larger sizes may be available upon request.
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Christy Turlington, San Francisco
By Kurt Markus
Located in New York, NY
This photograph is signed by the photographer. Please see additional editions listed below. Larger sizes may be available upon request.
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Bert Ancell, Bell Ranch, New Mexico
By Kurt Markus
Located in New York, NY
This photograph is signed by the photographer. Please see additional editions listed below. Larger sizes may be available upon request.
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Ann Klinge, Omaha, Nebraska
By Kurt Markus
Located in New York, NY
Please see additional editions listed below. Larger sizes may be available upon request.
Silver Gelatin
Ted Higby at Skyline Rodeo, 1928
Located in New York, NY
Listing includes framing with UV plexiglas, free shipping and a 14 day return policy. Ted Higby at Skyline Rodeo, 1928 15 x 12 inch gelatin silver print Image Size: 14 x 8.5 inches Frame size: 22.5 x 17.5 x 2 inches Edition of 15 Lora Webb Nichols was born in 1883 and grew up in the small mining town of Encampment, Wyoming. At the age of 16 Lora received her first camera and from that moment and for the next few decades she produced work that is both stunning in its singular voice and revealing in the world it opens up for us. At first Nichols photographed her family, friends, and the landscape around Encampment, but when the town experienced a copper mining boom Nichols expanded her scope to become a photographer for hire shooting portraits and industrial photographs. When the boom collapsed, Nichols took the risk of opening her own business in Encampment - The Rocky Mountain Studio - which opened in 1925. The studio ran for ten years, accumulating 24,000 negatives that illustrate the lives and environment of the people living in and around the town while creating a distinctive and surprising body of work. If one was to attempt an analogy – Nichols’ pictures fit somewhere between Lartigue and Lange - joyful and generous while objectively intimate. In particular what seems to distinguish Nichols’ work is the way she sees the world from a female perspective. As Vince Aletti...
Silver Gelatin
Untitled Portrait
By Seydou Keïta
Located in New York, NY
Listing includes framing with UV Plexi ($900 value), free shipping, and a 14-day return policy. Seydou Keïta Untitled Portrait, 1952 - 1955 (02158) 23...
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
Bea with a whip at The Other Side
By Nan Goldin
Located in New York, NY
Nan Goldin Bea with a whip at The Other Side 1973 Gelatin silver print 14 x 11 inches; 36 x 28 cm Edition of 100 Signed, titled, dated, and numbered in graphite (lower right verso) ...
Silver Gelatin
$5,000
H 11 in W 14 in
Eve Babitz and Marcel Duchamp playing chess during Duchamp's Pasadena Art Museum
By Julian Wasser
Located in New York, NY
Listing is for an unframed print and includes free shipping to the continental US and 14-day return policy. Julian Wasser Eve Babitz and Marcel Duchamp pl...
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
Gravestone Detail
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This silver gelatin print is initialed "AA" in felt-tip ink either by the artist or an unknown hand on the front of the mount. This print comes from the collection of the artist's da...
Silver Gelatin
Joan Didion, Hollywood, 1968 (Frame 33a.)
By Julian Wasser
Located in New York, NY
This is a limited edition 16 x 20 inch print of Joan Didion by photographer Julian Wasser shot for her iconic interview with TIME in 1968. Listing includes free shipping to the continental US and a 14-day return policy. Please inquire for framing options or international shipments. We offer framing services through our New York location. Joan Didion by Julian Wasser Gelatin Silver Print Paper Size: 16 x 20 inches Image Size: 11.5 x 17.5 inches Edition 9 of 15 Signed and on the back by Julian Wasser and editioned on adhesive certificate History Behind the Photograph - Julian Wasser started his career in photography in the Washington DC bureau of the Associated Press where he met and accompanied the famous news photographer Weegee – who would become a lasting influence on him. In the mid-60s Wasser moved to Los Angeles as a contract photographer for TIME, LIFE, and FORTUNE magazines and becoming internationally known as the go to guy for getting candid but memorably composed photographs. (His iconic images of Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston; Marcel Duchamp and Eve Babitz...
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
$5,544
H 30 in W 40 in
Daniel Craig Contact Sheet (Limited Edition of 25) - 30x40 In Celebrity Print
Located in New York, NY
This is a 2002 contact sheet (a positive print of all the negative images from a roll of 35mm film or medium format film) of youthful-looking Daniel Craig...
Silver Gelatin
The Swan, With Leda (Limited Edition of 25)
Located in New York, NY
This 2009 photograph by legend photographer, John Stoddart depicts “The Swan with Leda.” It was inspired from the mythology of the Greek story of Leda and the Swan, when the God Zeus...
Silver Gelatin
Vintage Portrait Photograph - Depth
Located in Houston, TX
Silver gelatin photograph of a close up superimposed portraits by photographer Layet, circa 1950. Original artwork on paper displayed on a white mat with a gold border. Archival pl...
Paper, Silver Gelatin
$2,772
H 24 in W 20 in
Tilda Swinton (Limited Edition of 25) - Celebrity Photography
Located in New York, NY
This 1986 black and white photograph was shot by British celebrity and fashion photographer, John Stoddart, captures Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton,...
Silver Gelatin
Untitled Portrait
By Seydou Keïta
Located in New York, NY
Listing includes framing with UV Plexi ($900 value), free shipping, and a 14-day return policy. Seydou Keïta Untitled Portrait, 1952 - 1955 (00089-MA.K...
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
$4,077
H 11.82 in W 15.75 in
14 juillet 1936 Paris Willy Ronis Humanist black and white photography
By Willy Ronis
Located in Paris, FR
Willy Ronis is one of the most famous members of the French Humanist photography. Silver print on photographic paper Hand-signed by the artist lower right Stamp of the artist's stud...
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin