Embassy of Canada, Washington, DC, 2009

In celebration of the centennial year of his birth, the Embassy of Canada in Washington, DC, in partnership with the National Gallery of Canada, announces the opening of the exhibit Karsh at 100: Portraits of Artists, a collection of Yousuf Karsh’s celebrated portraits, showcasing a series of twenty-eight famous artists.

'Portraits of Artists shows Karsh’s creativity in capturing the artistic character of his subjects,' says curator Ann Thomas of the National Gallery of Canada. 'The subjects are complex and playful, often combining the creators and their artwork in a lively visual relationship.' They include Andy Warhol, Georgia O’Keefe, Ernest Hemingway, Christian Dior; as well as notable Canadians, author Robertson Davies, pianist Glenn Gould, and Frederick H.Varley, one of Canada’s famed Group of Seven.

'Yousuf Karsh managed to take remarkable photos of people who had been photographed hundreds of times,' says Canadian Ambassador Michael Wilson. 'From Earnest Hemingway to Robertson Davies, Kenojuak Ashevak to Ansel Adams, this unique compilation contains iconic North American and international artists, and we are pleased to join with the National Gallery of Canada to celebrate the illustrious career of Yousuf Karsh in this exhibit.'

Karsh immigrated to Canada in 1925 from Armenia. At 23, he opened a studio in Ottawa, Canada, where he captured many of the faces of the twentieth century.