Key Works

Through his iconic portraits, Yousuf Karsh sought to reveal the essence of an individual, stating in his book In Search of Greatness, “There is a brief moment when all there is in a man’s mind and soul and spirit is reflected through his eyes, his hands, his attitude. This is the moment to record.” Early in his career, Karsh developed a distinctive modernist style, and his portraits—found in books, magazines, and art exhibitions, as well as on stamps and currency—form a visual encyclopedia of the twentieth century. His practice embraced significant shifts in the history of photography: the rise of celebrity portraiture in magazines, the recognition of photography as collectible art, and the decline of large-format analogue photography.