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
President JFK in the Oval Office
By Jacques Lowe
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Jacques Lowe, (born Jan. 24, 1930, Cologne, Ger.—died May 12, 2001, New York, N.Y.) (born Jan. 24, 1930, Cologne, Ger.—died May 12, 2001, New York, N.Y.) German-born American photogr...
Silver Gelatin
$5,000
H 11 in W 14 in
"First day in Office" President John F. Kennedy, The Oval Office, Washington D.C
By Jacques Lowe
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Jacques Lowe, (born Jan. 24, 1930, Cologne, Ger.—died May 12, 2001, New York, N.Y.) (born Jan. 24, 1930, Cologne, Ger.—died May 12, 2001, New York, N.Y.) German-born American photogr...
Silver Gelatin
$3,800
H 20 in W 16 in
Elizabeth Taylor, Black and White Photograph, Signed Estate Print, 20x16
By Burt Glinn
Located in New york, NY
Elizabeth Taylor, 1959 by Burt Glinn is a black-and-white photograph shot on film a portrait of Elizabeth Taylor on the beach during the filming of the adaptation of Tennessee Willia...
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
$3,600
H 16 in W 20 in
Yeshiva Students, New York City, Black-and-White Photograph, Signed, 16x20, 1954
By Leonard Freed
Located in New york, NY
Yeshiva Students, New York City, 1954 by Leonard Freed is a black-and-white photograph of three young Jewish Youth, studying at a yeshiva. A gelatin silver print, 16” x 20”, signed ...
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
Beastie Boys and Run DMC by Ebet Roberts
By Ebet Roberts
Located in Austin, TX
The Beastie Boys and Run DMC on the roof of B. Smith's restaurant at 47th St. and 8th Avenue in New York City on May 11, 1987, taken by Ebet Roberts. Signed limited edition, hand pr...
Silver Gelatin
$8,800
H 12 in W 9 in
Le Petit Parisien, Iconic Black and White Gelatin Silver Print, 1952, Signed
By Willy Ronis
Located in New york, NY
A much sought after photograph Le Petit Parisien, 1952 by French photographer Willy Ronis is a black and white image, a gelatin silver print, measuring 30 x 23,5 cm - 12 x 9in. The ...
Silver Gelatin, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper
$2,400
H 14 in W 11 in
Mr. Harlem, Bodybuilder, Black-and-White Signed Gelatin Silver Photograph, 1960s
By Leonard Freed
Located in New york, NY
The image of a bodybuilder capturing African-American life in Harlem in the 1960s, Mr. Harlem, 1963 by Leonard Freed, is a 14” x 11” black-and-white photograph from the photographer'...
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
$5,800
H 12 in W 16 in
Le Café de France, Gelatin Silver Print, Signed, 12x16 Inches, 1979 by Ronis
By Willy Ronis
Located in New york, NY
Interested in “ordinary people with ordinary lives,” photographer Willy Ronis among the postwar French photographers spent his career roaming the streets of Paris, photographing people in love, at work, and at play. Le Café de France...
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
$375
H 20 in W 24 in
John Minihan 'Yves Saint Laurent' Archival Photograph by Getty, 20x24
By John Minihan
Located in San Rafael, CA
By photographer John Minihan, Yves Saint Laurent, French designer with two fashion models, Betty Catroux (left) and Loulou de la Falaise, outside his 'Riv...
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
$4,500
H 15 in W 13.5 in D 2 in
Andy Warhol, Silver Gelatin Photograph by Christopher Makos, circa 1978
By Christopher Makos
Located in Long Island City, NY
This gelatin silver print was created by American photographer Christopher Makos. Makos is well known for his relationships with icons like Andy Warhol, Tennessee Williams, and John ...
Silver Gelatin
$4,000
H 15.5 in W 12 in
Yeshiva Boys, Brooklyn, Black-and-White Photograph, Signed, 1954, 15.5x12
By Leonard Freed
Located in New york, NY
Yeshiva Boys, 1954 is a black-and-white photograph of two young boys behind a glass door, an entrance to a Brooklyn brownstone in New York City. A gelatin silver lifetime print, 15...
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
$3,800
H 20 in W 16 in
Helen Frankenthaler in the Studio, Gelatin Silver Print, Signed, 20x16
By Burt Glinn
Located in New york, NY
A documentary portrait of Helen Frankenthaler (1925-2011) in her studio in New York in the 1950s. Frankenthaler who has remained a major American woman artist and female force of nat...
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin