Yousuf Karsh: American Portraits, Part II

Where: National Portrait Gallery

When: through November 2, 2014

Usually when you describe something as "more of the same," it's not a compliment.  In this case, more of the same is quite a tribute.  In 2009, the photographer Yousuf Karsh's widow gave the National Portrait Gallery over 100 of his photographs.  This is the second display of the best of his work.  If you liked the first selection, you'll like these as well.

Two photographs are hold-overs from the first part of the show: his iconic Winston Churchill shot and his informal photograph of Franklin Roosevelt with his son James.  The rest of the pieces are new.  Once again, you have fascinating people paired with superb photography - an excellent small show.

My favorite of these works is one of Muhammad Ali, which I would call pugnacious in pinstripes.  Pictured in a combative pose, you see the fighter in the man, both inside and outside the ring.  He's dressed, not in boxing gear, but in a pinstripe suit, showing his considerable business acumen.  An excellent shot, one that shows not just the surface of the man, but something deeper.  You could say that about all of the photographs.  One can only hope that more of his works will make their way into future shows.

Verdict: An excellent way to spend a lunch hour; whether you saw the first installment or not, don't miss this one.

Yousuf Karsh: American Portraits, Part I

Where: National Portrait Gallery

When: through April 27, 2014

The Portrait Gallery is really on a roll lately.  This is the second excellent show I've seen there in just the last couple of weeks.  I blogged earlier about the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition (if you've not seen that, I highly recommend it); this entry is about the first of two exhibits of Yousuf Karsh photographs.

Yousuf Karsh was born in Armenia and fled from that country's genocide to settle in Canada.  He apprenticed with a Boston photographer, John H. Garo, after his uncle saw great promise in his abilities with a camera.  He returned to Canada after his apprenticeship, determined to photograph "men and women who leave their mark on the world."  His big break was photographing Winston Churchill on a visit to Canada.  The bulldog expression became the iconic representation of Britain's determination to defeat the Nazis.

Each of the photographs on display is interesting, both for the great photography and for the subject matter.  They are each a marriage of style and substance.  Even though almost all of them are in black and white, I didn't miss the color, and if you've read this blog for any length of time, you know what a statement that is.

Perhaps my favorite of the pieces on display is one of Franklin Roosevelt with his son James and two Canadian government ministers.  It's an outdoor shot which is atypical of Karsh, and the story goes that everyone was posed very stiffly for the picture.  After it was over, the men relaxed, and that is the shot that Karsh took.  The thing I noticed is that you have to look carefully to see the President being supported by his son; his hand on James' arm is just visible.

Karsh died in 2002, and in 2012, his widow donated 109 of his portraits to the National Portrait Gallery.  Happily, there is another Karsh display that will go up in May and run through November.  I'm eagerly awaiting that show now.

Verdict: If you are at all interested in photography or 20th century American history and culture, do not miss this very fine show.