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Yousuf Karsh: American Portraits at DAI

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The Dayton Art Institute opens the Yousuf Karsh: American Portraits exhibit Saturday. 48 black and white portraits comprise the exhibit on loan from the Smithsonian’s American Portrait Gallery.
Yousuf Karsh is perhaps the most prolific portrait photographer of the 20th century. Coming to age following the Armenian Genocide he landed in Ottowa Canada as a refugee from the Ottoman Empire, now modern-day Turkey.
From Canada, he built his career and legacy after his 1941 photograph of Winston Churchill made the cover of Time Magazine. Yousuf’s portraits would grace the cover of Time Magazine 19 more times over his career.
Like many photographers of that period, Yousuf was involved in every aspect of the portrait session, including the development of the film and printing of the images. The images feel personal and that comes the relationships and rapport Yousuf built with each subject he photographed.
Visitors to the exhibit will be struck by the absolute clarity of each photo. These are not digitally retouched images, but photographs made 40, 50, 60 and even 70 years ago. Painstakenly lit, posed, developed and printed by hand. Most all of the images feel personal as well. His photos of Hemingway and Martin Luther King are iconic and easily recognizable, but the intimate photo of Helen Keller and her assistant give you a glimpse into her life.

This exhibit is focused on American portraits. Innovators, personalities, celebrities, and artists, but also includes the whimsical with Colonel Sanders and Andy Warhol finishing the walk of portraits. Look for Grace Kelley, Edward Murrow, Muhammad Ali, Niel Amstrong, Walt Disney and dozens of others that shaped America in the 20th century.
The exhibit opens June 23 and will return to the American Portrait Gallery in September.
Keep an eye out for the one portrait in the collection that is not of an American icon.

A number of related events and programs are planned in conjunction with the special exhibition, including a Trivia Night at The DAI hosted by Dana Sintell of The Rubi Girls! Scheduled programs include:

  • Trivia Night, July 13, 6:30–9 p.m.
  • ARTventures: Clay Portraiture, July 14, 1–3 p.m.
  • Curatorial Conversations: Exhibition Tour, July 19, 6–7 p.m.
  • ARTventures: Celebrating Celebrities, July 28, 1–3 p.m.
  • Teen/Adult Studio: Charcoal Portraiture, July 29, 1–2 p.m.
  • Talk: What’s in a Portrait? The Art of Photography and Portraiture, August 4, 1–2 p.m.
  • The Language of Art, August 8 & August 11, noon–2 p.m.
  • ARTventures: Creative Collages, August 25, 1–3 p.m.
  • Behind the Scenes Talk: Yousuf Karsh and Jane Reece, September 6, 4–5 p.m.

For more about Yousuf Karsh: American Portraits and Jane Reece Photographs, as well as related programs, visit www.daytonartinstitute.org/americanportraits. 

Admission to Yousuf Karsh: American Portraits is free for museum members. Non-member admission is $14 adults; $11 seniors (60+), students (18+ w/ID), active military and groups (10 or more); $6 youth (ages 7-17); and free for children (ages 6 & under). Prices include admission to Yousuf Karsh: American Portraits and Jane Reece Photographs, as well as the museum’s collection galleries. As a special thank you to the community, admission to the exhibition will be free to all on the first four Sundays in July: July 1, 8, 15 & 22.