Karsh


Karsh_Shankar_Raga_DVD.jpgIn October, East Meets West Music, the official recording label of The Ravi Shankar Foundation, will release a remastered 'Raga: A Journey into the Soul of India'. Originally released in 1971, the film documents the life of the sitar master in the late 60's.

The Estate of Yousuf Karsh supported the Foundation with the use of this photograph of Shankar from 1966.

Read more / Watch the trailer.

Ravi Shankar © Yousuf Karsh
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Karsh_Steichen_Joanna.jpgJoanna Steichen met Edward through Carl Sandburg in 1959 and Yousuf Karsh photographed them at their home in Connecticut in 1965. When they married, she was 27, he was 80. She died last month, at home in Montauk.

Edward and Joanna Steichen, 1965 © Yousuf Karsh

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Karsh_Herman_Leonard.jpgHerman Leonard had a breath-taking life, from his early days assisting Yousuf Karsh to his years spent in Paris photographing fashion to his nights in Harlem photographing jazz legends, and on throughout the years. I interviewed him for ZOOZOOM about his fashion work, and felt lucky to be able to also chat with him about the famous sitting with Albert Einstein on which he assisted Karsh in 1948. I didn't meet Herman until he was well into his 80's but he behaved like a young man, enthusiastic about photography, forward-looking and creative with his archive. His prints left damaged by Hurricane Katrina make for moving viewing.

"Quincy Jones once said, 'I used to tell cats that Herman Leonard did with his camera what we did with our instruments. Looking back across his career, I'm even more certain of the comparison: Herman's camera tells the truth, and makes it swing. Musicians loved to see him around. No surprise; he made us look good.'"

Herman Leonard, 1923 - 2010  © Yousuf Karsh
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Karsh_Vaughn_Williams_02.jpgIn the fall this year the Cantata Singers begin their Ralph Vaughan Williams season in Boston. "Cantata Singers inspires, engages, and challenges listeners through daring juxtapositions of music old and new, compelling programming, and exceptional artistry."

Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1949 © Yousuf Karsh
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John Wooden was an American basketball coach. He was a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player (class of 1961) and as a coach (class of 1973) and was the first person ever enshrined in both categories. Wooden died of natural causes aged 99 on June 4th, 2010.

John Wooden © Yousuf Karsh
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Karsh_Lego.jpgThanks go to Mike Stimpson for raising a smile by including Karsh's Winston Chuchill in his Classics in Lego™ homage to the great photographs of our time.

See more on Facebook, Flickr.
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karsh_JFK_Life.jpgAt the Sotheby's auction preview this week I met Beth Iskander, VP of Photographs. We knew we'd met before and realized it was 18 years ago when Beth took me on a tour of the Life magazine archives. I remember seeing the Liz Taylor files and thinking how wonderful it must have been when you got to spend a whole day, and sometimes longer, with a subject, and how few outlets were running full photo spreads any more. 18 years later I launched aCurator magazine with the hope of giving photographers the opportunity to see a whole spread of their work again.

JFK by Yousuf Karsh, cover by Life.




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Karsh_Lloyd_wright.jpg

The majority of Karsh's portraits are in portrait format, but I wanted to find some landscapes to take advantage of the full screen magazine. Here you see Jean-Paul Riopelle, Max Ernst, Ravi Shankar, Helen Keller and Polly Thompson, Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Bertrand Russell, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Each is photographed in Karsh's signature style in a recognizable environment, except for Lord Russell, who is beautifully framed in silhouette lighting his pipe with a match.

There is plenty more to enjoy on Karsh's official website. Don't miss the videos, in particular the recreation of the world famous Churchill "Roaring Lion" photograph.

View the feature.

Frank Lloyd Wright, 1954 © Yousuf Karsh
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Karsh_Blalock_Alfred_1950_0.jpgHealth care reform has passed the House. Karsh thought he might have become a doctor, but rather he photographed many of the ground breakers of the 20th century including Dr Jonas Salk, Dr Helen Taussig, Dr Christiaan Bernard and Dr Alfred Blalock, to name just a few.

Dr Alfred Blalock, co-developer of the Blalock-Taussig Shunt, 1950 © Yousuf Karsh
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Krushchev.jpgMrs Karsh told me today that despite 45 years believing otherwise, she has learned that Chairman Khrushchev's coat is made from lynx. And thus another chance to run this photo presents itself!

Nikita Khrushchev, 1963 © Yousuf Karsh
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