Harry Callahan

(American, 1912–1999)

Harry Callahan was a pioneering American photographer who worked in both color and black-and-white. Among his best-known works are the numerous portraits of his wife Eleanor, who served as a constant model throughout his career. His prolific practice included taking took dozens of photographs a day. Callahan's output, however, was exceptionally curated, and he consistently produced less than ten finished prints a year. “I guess I've shot about 40,000 negatives and of these I have about 800 pictures I like,” he once said. Born on October 22, 1912 in Detroit, MI, Callahan taught at the Institute of Design in Chicago, and went on to found the renowned photography department at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence in 1961. During this time period, he served as an influential teacher to many important young American photographers. Callahan accumulated many honors during his life, including being featured in Edward Steichen's landmark “The Family of Man” exhibition in 1955, and was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1996. The artist died on March 15, 1999 in Atlanta, GA, leaving behind some 100,000 negatives and 10,000 proof prints. Today, Callahan’s works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others.

Harry Callahan News

Art & Exhibitions

London's Royal Academy of Arts to Stage UK's First Survey of Abstract Expressionism in Six Decades

by Carol Civre
London's Royal Academy of Arts to Stage UK's First Survey of Abstract Expressionism in Six Decades
Art & Exhibitions

Unprecedented Gift to Whitney Museum's Photo Collection

by Henri Neuendorf
Unprecedented Gift to Whitney Museum's Photo Collection
Art World

Baltimore Museum of Art Receives Major Photo Donation

by Benjamin Sutton
Baltimore Museum of Art Receives Major Photo Donation

Harry Callahan Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Harry Callahan (2,164 results)
Aix-en-Provence, 1957–1958

Harry Callahan

Aix-en-Provence, 1957–1958

Sale Date: October 17, 2019

Auction Closed

Lake Michigan (Reeds), 1949

Harry Callahan

Lake Michigan (Reeds), 1949

Sale Date: September 27, 2019

Auction Closed

Cape Cod, 1972

Harry Callahan

Cape Cod, 1972

Sale Date: September 27, 2019

Auction Closed

Water's Edge (with: Cape Cod (1973), gelatin , 1980

Harry Callahan

Water's Edge (with: Cape Cod (1973), gelatin , 1980

Sale Date: September 27, 2019

Auction Closed

Water's Edge (with: Cape Cod (1973), gelatin , 1980

Harry Callahan

Water's Edge (with: Cape Cod (1973), gelatin , 1980

Sale Date: September 27, 2019

Auction Closed

Water's Edge (with: Eleanor, Chicago (1949), , 1980

Harry Callahan

Water's Edge (with: Eleanor, Chicago (1949), , 1980

Sale Date: September 27, 2019

Auction Closed

Water's Edge (with: Cape Cod (1972), gelatin , 1980

Harry Callahan

Water's Edge (with: Cape Cod (1972), gelatin , 1980

Sale Date: September 27, 2019

Auction Closed

Eleanor, Chicago, 1947

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, Chicago, 1947

Sale Date: October 2, 2019

Auction Closed

Chicago, 1945

Harry Callahan

Chicago, 1945

Sale Date: October 2, 2019

Auction Closed

Chicago, 1950

Harry Callahan

Chicago, 1950

Sale Date: October 2, 2019

Auction Closed

Wall, Chicago, 1957

Harry Callahan

Wall, Chicago, 1957

Sale Date: October 2, 2019

Auction Closed

State Street, Chicago, 1959

Harry Callahan

State Street, Chicago, 1959

Sale Date: October 4, 2019

Auction Closed

Ivy Tentacles on Glass, Chicago, 1952

Harry Callahan

Ivy Tentacles on Glass, Chicago, 1952

Sale Date: October 4, 2019

Auction Closed

Detroit, 1941

Harry Callahan

Detroit, 1941

Sale Date: October 1, 2019

Auction Closed

Cape Cod, 1972

Harry Callahan

Cape Cod, 1972

Sale Date: September 5, 2019

Auction Closed

Eleanor, Prt Huron, 1954, 1954

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, Prt Huron, 1954, 1954

Sale Date: November 17, 2018

Auction Closed

Cape Cod, 1972

Harry Callahan

Cape Cod, 1972

Sale Date: July 9, 2019

Auction Closed

Eleanor, 1954

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, 1954

Sale Date: July 9, 2019

Auction Closed

Detroit, 1943, 1943

Harry Callahan

Detroit, 1943, 1943

Sale Date: June 18, 2019

Auction Closed

Cape Cod, 1972, 1972

Harry Callahan

Cape Cod, 1972, 1972

Sale Date: June 18, 2019

Auction Closed

Providence, 1979

Harry Callahan

Providence, 1979

Sale Date: June 5, 2019

Auction Closed

Ireland, 1979

Harry Callahan

Ireland, 1979

Sale Date: June 5, 2019

Auction Closed

Atlanta 1978; New York 1978 (2 works), 1978

Harry Callahan

Atlanta 1978; New York 1978 (2 works), 1978

Sale Date: June 5, 2019

Auction Closed

[Via Lanzone], 1980–1989

Harry Callahan

[Via Lanzone], 1980–1989

Sale Date: June 13, 2019

Auction Closed

English (US)

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