Art Review: The World of Yousuf Karsh: A Private Essence

I love Montreal but haven’t visited since the Covid hysteria locked Canada’s doors to Americans and everyone else. For a year and a half, it seemed the country disappeared. With the border now open, and a good exhibition at Montreal’s Museum of Fine Arts, I drove north to see The World of Yousuf Karsh: A Private Essence. Stimulating the exhibition is a gift to the museum of 111 vintage photographs printed by Karsh (1908–2002). His widow, Estrellita, still alive and in Boston, made the gift in part to remedy the MFA’s Karsh deficiency. He’s Canada’s Eakins, its greatest portraitist, yet the museum had only one of his photographs.

I should say he’s Canada’s closest thing to Eakins since Karsh was a citizen of both Canada and America. I’ve always thought of him as international given his subjects, but he worked in Ottawa whenever he stood still. And Canada is light on artists of Karsh’s fame and quality. Since it’s Christmas, I’m all for sharing. Karsh was born in what is now southeastern Turkey. He and his family fled their home during the Armenian Holocaust, some of whose atrocities he saw. By 1924, Karsh was in Canada living with his uncle, a portrait photographer.

About the Author

Brian T. Allen

Brian T. Allen is National Review’s art critic.

I love Montreal but haven’t visited since the Covid hysteria locked Canada’s doors to Americans and everyone else. For a year and a half, it seemed the country disappeared. With the border now open, and a good exhibition at Montreal’s Museum of Fine Arts, I drove north to see The World of Yousuf Karsh: A Private Essence. Stimulating the exhibition is a gift to the museum of 111 vintage photographs printed by Karsh (1908–2002). His widow, Estrellita, still alive and in Boston, made the gift in part to remedy the MFA’s Karsh deficiency. He’s Canada’s Eakins, its greatest portraitist, yet the museum had only one of his photographs.

I should say he’s Canada’s closest thing to Eakins since Karsh was a citizen of both Canada and America. I’ve always thought of him as international given his subjects, but he worked in Ottawa whenever he stood still. And Canada is light on artists of Karsh’s fame and quality. Since it’s Christmas, I’m all for sharing. Karsh was born in what is now southeastern Turkey. He and his family fled their home during the Armenian Holocaust, some of whose atrocities he saw. By 1924, Karsh was in Canada living with his uncle, a portrait photographer.