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Yousuf Karsh Art

Canadian, 1908-2002

Yousuf Karsh’s portrait of Winston Churchill used on the British £5 note is the most famous of his many definitive photographs of the men and women who shaped the 20th century.

Born in 1908 in the Ottoman Empire, Karsh escaped the  Armenian genocide in 1922 by fleeing on foot to Syria. His father then sent him to Canada, where Karsh’s uncle worked as a photographer in Sherbrooke, Quebec. There Karsh learned photography and later took an apprenticeship with Boston painter and portrait photographer John H. Garo. Karsh opened his photography studio in 1931 and began working for the Ottawa Little Theatre. He had his journalism breakthrough in 1936 when he documented a meeting between U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King.

In 1941, his portrait of Winston Churchill with an expression of serious, steady resolve was used as the cover of LIFE magazine. The issue was credited with increasing American public support for WWII. His prolific portraiture would go on to include Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Fidel Castro, Albert Einstein, Frank Lloyd Wright, Alfred Hitchcock and more.

He was an honorary fellow of the Royal Photographic Society of London, a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and an officer of the Order of Canada. In 2002, he passed away at the age of 93.

His work is in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, the National Portrait Gallery in London and many others. His honors included the Canada Council Medal, the United States Presidential Citation, a Gold Medal from the Canadian Association of Photographic Art and the Achievement and Life Award from Encyclopedia Britannica.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of original Yousef Karsh photography.

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Artist: Yousuf Karsh
Georgia O'Keeffe
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed by the artist on the front of the mount. Printed later circa 1980-90s. Excellent condition. The piece does NOT include the frame. Frame shown just for reference. From the esta...
Category

20th Century Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Jacques Cousteau
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed on mount recto. Stamped, signed and dated on mount verso. Edition 31/100 - from the Karsh Portfolio (no longer available from the Estate as a single original print). Please co...
Category

Late 20th Century Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Peter Lorre, Actor in The Maltese Falcon & Casablanca. Smoking Portrait
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in Carmel, CA
After a successful acting career in Europe, Peter Lorre came to the United States and starred in such classic films as “The Maltese Falcon”, “Arsenic and Old Lace”, and “Casablanca”....
Category

1940s Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Albert Einstein
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Karsh is a master 20th Century photographer. Karsh is known for his portraits of authors, scientists, artists, statesmen, musicians, and other dis...
Category

1940s Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Pablo Casals
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Original gelatin silver print made later in the artist's career from the original negative and signed by the artist on the front of the mount. Yousuf Karsh was a Canadian photographe...
Category

20th Century Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Robert Oppenheimer
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Karsh is a master 20th Century photographer. Karsh is known for his portraits of authors, scientists, artists, statesmen, musicians, and other dis...
Category

1950s Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Black and White Silver Gelatin Photograph of Igor Stravinsky
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in Houston, TX
Black and white silver gelatin portrait photograph of Igor Stravinsky by well-renowned 20th Century photographer Yousuf Karsh. Matted and framed in sil...
Category

1950s Modern Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Marx Brothers
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Karsh is a master 20th Century photographer. Karsh is known for his portraits of authors, scientists, artists, statesmen, musicians, and other dis...
Category

1940s Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Henry Moore
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Karsh is a master 20th Century photographer. Karsh is known for his portraits of authors, scientists, artists, statesmen, musicians, and other dis...
Category

1940s Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Winston Churchill, 1941
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in London, GB
11 x 14 inches (paper size) 16 x 20 inches (paper size) Signed on mount Silver gelatin print, mounted on card, printed by the artist or under his direct supervision circa 1980s Prove...
Category

20th Century Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Pablo Picasso, 1954 - Yousuf Karsh (Portrait Photography)
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in London, GB
Pablo Picasso, 1954 - Yousuf Karsh (Portrait Photography) Signed on mount Silver gelatin print, mounted on card, printed by the artist or under his direct supervision 38 3/4 x 29 1/2 inches Provenance: Estate of Yousuf Karsh, Museum of Fine Arts Boston Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002) was one of the most significant portrait photographers of the twentieth century. His portraits are easily recognisable for their bold use of studio lighting and closely cropped composition. Karsh’s photographs...
Category

Mid-20th Century Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Audrey Hepburn, 1956 - Yousuf Karsh (Portrait Photography)
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in London, GB
Audrey Hepburn, 1956 - Yousuf Karsh (Portrait Photography) Accompanied by a signed certificate of authenticity Silver gelatin print 16 x 20 inches Provenance: Estate of Yousuf Karsh, Museum of Fine Arts Boston Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002) was one of the most significant portrait photographers of the twentieth century. His portraits are easily recognisable for their bold use of studio lighting and closely cropped composition. Karsh’s photographs...
Category

Mid-20th Century Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Georgia O'Keeffe, 1956 - Yousuf Karsh (Portrait Photography)
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in London, GB
Georgia O'Keeffe, 1956 - Yousuf Karsh (Portrait Photography) Signed on mount Silver gelatin print 20 x 16 inches Provenance: Estate of Yousuf Karsh, ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Martin Luther King, 1960 - Yousuf Karsh (Portrait Photography)
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in London, GB
Martin Luther King, 1960 - Yousuf Karsh (Portrait Photography) Signed on mount Silver gelatin print mounted on card, printed by the artist of under his direct supervision 19 1/2 x 15 3/4 inches Provenance: Estate of Yousuf Karsh, Museum of Fine Arts Boston Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002) was one of the most significant portrait photographers of the twentieth century. His portraits are easily recognisable for their bold use of studio lighting and closely cropped composition. Karsh’s photographs...
Category

Mid-20th Century Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Martha Graham, 1948 - Yousuf Karsh (Portrait Photography)
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in London, GB
John F. Kennedy, 1960 - Yousuf Karsh (Portrait Photography) Signed on mount Silver gelatin print mounted on card, printed by the artist of under his direct supervision 19 3/4 x 15 3/4 inches Provenance: Estate of Yousuf Karsh, Museum of Fine Arts Boston Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002) was one of the most significant portrait photographers of the twentieth century. His portraits are easily recognisable for their bold use of studio lighting and closely cropped composition. Karsh’s photographs...
Category

Mid-20th Century Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

John F. Kennedy, 1960 - Yousuf Karsh (Portrait Photography)
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in London, GB
John F. Kennedy, 1960 - Yousuf Karsh (Portrait Photography) Signed on mount Silver gelatin print mounted on card, printed by the artist of under his direct supervision 13 x 101/4 inches Provenance: Estate of Yousuf Karsh, Museum of Fine Arts Boston Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002) was one of the most significant portrait photographers of the twentieth century. His portraits are easily recognisable for their bold use of studio lighting and closely cropped composition. Karsh’s photographs...
Category

Mid-20th Century Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Ernest Hemingway
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in New York, NY
16 x 20
Category

Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Pablo Picasso
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in New York, NY
16 x 20
Category

Yousuf Karsh Art

Albert Einstein
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer in ink on the mount
Category

Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Pablo Picasso 1954
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Original gelatin silver print made later in the artist's career from the original negative and signed by the artist on the front of the mount. Yousuf Karsh was a Canadian photograph...
Category

20th Century Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Elixir
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Original gelatin silver print made later in the artist's career from the original negative and signed by the artist on the front of the mount. Includes overmat - 28 x 22 inches. Yous...
Category

20th Century Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Elixir
Price Upon Request
Andy Warhol, 1979
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Original gelatin silver print made later in the artist's career from the original negative and signed by the artist on the front of the mount. Yousuf Karsh was a Canadian photographe...
Category

20th Century Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Humphrey Bogart, 1946
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Original gelatin silver print made later in the artist's career from the original negative. We have a few different sizes available, unsigned and authenticated by the estate so conta...
Category

20th Century Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

George Bernard Shaw
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Original gelatin silver print made later in the artist's career from the original negative and signed by the artist on the front of the mount. Yousuf Karsh was a Canadian photographe...
Category

20th Century Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Georgia OKeeffe
By Yousuf Karsh
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Original gelatin silver print made later in the artist's career from the original negative and signed by the artist on the front of the mount. Yousuf Karsh was a Canadian photographer (1908 - 2002) and is considered one of the most renowned portrait photographer of our time. He has perceptively photographed the statesmen, artists, and literary and scientific figures that have shaped our lives in the 20th century. Known for his ability to transform “the human face into legend,” many of the portraits that he created have become virtually the image of the great man or woman they portray, whether Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, Albert Einstein or Helen Keller...
Category

20th Century Yousuf Karsh Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

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Previously Available Items
Winston Churchill
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Albert Einstein Smiling
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Signed in ink with early markings Ottawa. Vintage Photograph. An amazing example of one of the greatest portrait photographers of our generation. Great condition.
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1940s Yousuf Karsh Art

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Ernest Hemingway
By Yousuf Karsh
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Original Opal V gelatin silver print made later in the artist's career. It was made from the original negative and signed by the artist. In Karsh's words from the 1957 sitting: “I ex...
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Portrait of Nikita Khrushchev in Profile, Mid Century Black & White Photograph
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Exquisite black and white photograph of Nikita Khrushchev, a portrait in profile of the former Premier of the Soviet Union, by Yousuf Karsh from his ...
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Winston Churchill, 1941
By Yousuf Karsh
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1950s Modern Yousuf Karsh Art

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Robert Frost
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Yousuf Karsh art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Yousuf Karsh art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Yousuf Karsh in silver gelatin print, paper, photographic paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Photorealist style. Not every interior allows for large Yousuf Karsh art, so small editions measuring 7 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Laura Letinsky, Ysabel Lemay, and Ron Baxter Smith. Yousuf Karsh art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $680 and tops out at $30,000, while the average work can sell for $12,000.

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