YOUSUF KARSH, Joan Miro, 1965, Gelatin Silver print 23.75x19.9" ASG # YK/1174 Mounted on 30x24" 4 ply rag board signed Karsh on mount below print right and numbered 12/100 on mount below print left. This is from the portfolio of 24x20" prints Karsh Fifteen Portraits printed 1983.

Karsh was the most celebrated portraitist of the 20th century.

Born in Mardin, Armenia in 1908, Karsh (1908-2002) was forced to leave its devastating political turmoil when he was only sixteen. He immigrated alone to Quebec where his uncle not only provided him with a home but with work in his photography studio. In a short time, photography captivated Karsh. Within a few years he was apprenticed to John H. Garo of Boston, a fellow Armenian recognized as the outstanding portraitist in the eastern United States. Their stimulating company inspired Karsh to devote his life to photographing the men and women who "leave their mark on the world."

By 1931 Karsh had moved from Boston to Ottawa, Canada and opened a small portrait studio. After joining the Ottawa Little Theater, he discovered the unlimited possibilities of photographing actors under stage lighting that allowed moods to be created, selected, modified or intensified. Through the theater Karsh was introduced to Governor General Lord Bessborough and his wife whom he photographed. The portraits of the distinguished couple were so successful that in 1936 Karsh was invited by Lord Bessborough's successor to photograph Franklin Delano Roosevelt's meeting with the Canadian Prime Minister.

Over the years Karsh created an international portfolio of distinguished and talented personalities. It has been said that his portraits of great people like Georgia O'Keeffe, Martin Luther King, Jr., Henry Moore, Helen Keller, Fidel Castro, John F. Kennedy and Albert Schweitzer have transformed the human face into legend.

For each portrait Karsh researches his subject in depth. His endless fascination lies in what he describes as their "inward power." Summarizing his efforts, Karsh has said, "The search for greatness of spirit had compelled me to work harder - to strive for perfection, knowing it to be unattainable. My quest has brought me great joy when something close to my ideal has been attained. It has kept me young at heart, adventurous, forever seeking, and always aware that the heart and the mind are the true lens of the camera."

Excellent. Minor wear, linen tape back of mount