Star Wars
On this day, May 25, in 1977, the film Star Wars was released in American movie theaters.
News & Stories
Relentless: The Stories Behind the Photographs of Neil Leifer
Neil Leifer shared his story with a mesmerized audience at the eleventh Karsh Lecture in Photography.
William Schwartz, 1933-2017
We recently learned of the passing of Dean William Schwartz, of Boston University School of Law. Dean Schwartz served as professor of law at the school for more than 30 years.
Douglas Cardinal
Douglas Cardinal is a Canadian architect based in Ottawa, Canada. He is still practicing, and his firm was recently in touch about using a portrait.
Tom Wolfe, 1930-2018
American author, journalist, and “unabashed contrarian” Tom Wolfe has died, aged 88.
Coronation of George VI
On this day, May 12, in 1937, George VI was crowned King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth. In 1939, King George became the first British monarch to visit America and Canada.
Nelson Mandela Becomes President
On this day, May 10, in 1994, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was sworn in as the first black president of South Africa.
Laurence J. Cuelenaere, Shruti Paladagu, and Paulina MacNeil are the 2018 Karsh Prize Winners
2018 marked the 21st anniversary of the Karsh photography prize for students of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Josip Broz Tito
Yugoslav communist revolutionary and political leader, Josip Broz, died on this day, May 4, in 1980.
Jonas Salk
On this day, April 26, in 1954, Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine began field trials.
Tennessee Williams – Playwright & Painter
“Tennessee Williams – Playwright & Painter” is an exhibition featuring nine of Tennessee William’s paintings dating from the 1970s. Hanging in the gallery is an enlargement of this iconic photograph of Williams, made by Karsh in 1956.
President James Carter
93 year old President James Carter was unable to attend the funeral of First Lady Barbara Bush last week, because he and his wife, Rosalynn, were traveling.
Leonard Bernstein
2018 marks the centenary of the birth of Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein was an American composer, conductor, author, music lecturer, and pianist.
Canada Post Celebrates 65th Anniversary of Queen’s Coronation
Canada Post’s latest stamp features a portrait of then-Princess Elizabeth months before her accession to the throne.
Queen Elizabeth II’s Last Corgi Dies
Sad news from The Palace that the Queen’s last remaining corgi, Willow, has passed on.
Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier
On this day, April 18, in 1956, American actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco.
“The animated movie star welcomed me to her New York apartment in blue jeans, with her hair in curlers!”
Berenice Abbott: A Life in Photography
Our friend and colleague Julia Van Haaften, founding curator of the New York Public Library’s photography collection, has released her in-depth biography Berenice Abbott: A Life in Photography.
Giacometti: Final Portrait
Having debuted at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2017, director Stanley Tucci’s biopic of Alberto Giacometti, “Final Portrait,” is now on wide release.
Yukio Ozaki’s Cherry Blossoms
Each year at this time, the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. commemorates the 1912 gift to the city of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo.
Marian Anderson sings at Lincoln Memorial
On Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939, Marian Anderson performed a free open-air concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. She sang before a crowd of more than 75,000 people and a radio audience in the millions.
Picasso: Genius
The National Geographic television channel will release a second season of its biographical “Genius” series on April 24th, 2018. Pablo Picasso is played by Antonio Banderas.
Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King was assassinated on this day, April 4, in 1968. President Lyndon B. Johnson declared April 7 a national day of mourning for the civil rights leader.
Joan Baez: Whistle Down the Wind
Joan Baez announced that she is releasing her final studio album, “Whistle Down the Wind”, and hitting the road for the last time, on an eight-month tour.
“Karsh is History” at AIPAD
For the second year at the AIPAD Photography Show there will be a program of photographer documentaries, shorts and features, curated by award-winning filmmaker Mary Engel.
“American Portraits” Traveling Exhibition
The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. launched their “Yousuf Karsh: American Portraits” exhibition in 2014 in celebration of a major gift to its collection of around 100 Karsh photographs. The exhibition is now traveling the United States.
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim was born on this day, March 22, in 1930.
John Updike
John Updike was born on this day, March 18, in 1932. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author published around 60 books.
Clare Boothe Luce
The Eisenhower Memorial Commission is celebrating Women’s History Month with women who were pioneers in American diplomacy during the Eisenhower administration.
The Artist’s Mirror
As part of a five-year collaboration with Library and Archives Canada, the Glenbow Museum in Calgary will host a series of exhibitions drawn from the national portrait collection.
Albert Einstein
On this day, March 14, in 1879, Albert Einstein was born. Karsh found Einstein “a simple, kindly, almost childlike man, too great for any of the postures of eminence.”
Hubert de Givenchy, 1927-2018
“Mr. Givenchy came to the attention of the young Ms. Hepburn, a rising star who was so charmed by his youthful designs that she insisted that he make her clothes for nearly all of her movies, and help mold her sylphlike image in the process.”
Dr. Helen Brooke Taussig
On International Women’s Day we are honoring Dr. Helen Brooke Taussig, ground-breaking American cardiologist.
Muhammad Ali meets Joe Frazier
On this day, March 8, in 1971, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier engaged in the “Fight of the Century” at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Yousuf Karsh and Ronald Reagan
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum has digitized a series of contact sheets showing Karsh’s visit to the White House to photograph the President in January, 1982.
Billy Graham, 1918-2018
Billy Graham was a spiritual adviser to American presidents and provided spiritual counsel for every president from Harry Truman to Barack Obama.
Harland Saunders
The United Kingdom is experiencing a chicken-related “fiasco” as Kentucky Fried Chicken’s supplier fails to make deliveries to KFC restaurants across the country.
Yousuf Karsh and Edward Steichen
“The prospect of photographing such a giant was awesome.”
Sir Alexander Fleming Discovers Penicillin
On this day, February 14, in 1929, Sir Alexander Fleming first published his discovery of penicillin in the British Journal of Experimental Pathology.
Jean Monnet
Jean Monnet was a French political economist and diplomat, and is considered one of the founding fathers of the European Union.
Barbara Ann Scott
Barbara Ann Scott was a Canadian figure skater. She was the 1948 Olympic champion, a two-time World champion, and a four-time Canadian national champion in ladies’ singles.