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)
Eleanor, Chicago, 1948

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, Chicago, 1948

Sale Date: September 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Eleanor, Aix-en-Provence, France, 1958

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, Aix-en-Provence, France, 1958

Sale Date: September 29, 2014

Auction Closed

State Street, Chicago, 1959

Harry Callahan

State Street, Chicago, 1959

Sale Date: June 5, 2014

Auction Closed

Wisconsin, 1955

Harry Callahan

Wisconsin, 1955

Sale Date: May 30, 2014

Auction Closed

Multiple exposure Tree, Chicago, 1956

Harry Callahan

Multiple exposure Tree, Chicago, 1956

Sale Date: May 20, 2014

Auction Closed

Cape Cod, 1972

Harry Callahan

Cape Cod, 1972

Sale Date: June 4, 2014

Auction Closed

Eleanor, Chicago, 1947

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, Chicago, 1947

Sale Date: May 28, 2014

Auction Closed

Cape Cod, 1972

Harry Callahan

Cape Cod, 1972

Sale Date: May 28, 2014

Auction Closed

Providence, 1962

Harry Callahan

Providence, 1962

Sale Date: May 28, 2014

Auction Closed

Sunlight on water (+2 others; 3 works), 1943

Harry Callahan

Sunlight on water (+2 others; 3 works), 1943

Sale Date: May 7, 2014

Auction Closed

Grasses in snow, Detroit (+2 others; 3 works), 1943

Harry Callahan

Grasses in snow, Detroit (+2 others; 3 works), 1943

Sale Date: May 7, 2014

Auction Closed

Detroit (+2 others; 3 works), 1941

Harry Callahan

Detroit (+2 others; 3 works), 1941

Sale Date: May 7, 2014

Auction Closed

Ireland (from The suite PB832-4 (3 works)), 1979

Harry Callahan

Ireland (from The suite PB832-4 (3 works)), 1979

Sale Date: April 28, 2014

Auction Closed

Cape Cod, 1973

Harry Callahan

Cape Cod, 1973

Sale Date: April 17, 2014

Auction Closed

Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Fall, 1958

Harry Callahan

Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Fall, 1958

Sale Date: April 17, 2014

Auction Closed

Eleanor, Port Huron and Callahan, 1954

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, Port Huron and Callahan, 1954

Sale Date: April 5, 2014

Auction Closed

Provincetown, 1979

Harry Callahan

Provincetown, 1979

Sale Date: April 1, 2014

Auction Closed

Chicago (Trees in Snow), 1950

Harry Callahan

Chicago (Trees in Snow), 1950

Sale Date: April 1, 2014

Auction Closed

Eleanor, 1947

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, 1947

Sale Date: April 2, 2014

Auction Closed

Eleanor (Lone Figure) (+ Aix en Provence..., 1949

Harry Callahan

Eleanor (Lone Figure) (+ Aix en Provence..., 1949

Sale Date: April 2, 2014

Auction Closed

Cape Cod, 1974

Harry Callahan

Cape Cod, 1974

Sale Date: April 2, 2014

Auction Closed

Selected Cape Cod images (2 works), 1970–1979

Harry Callahan

Selected Cape Cod images (2 works), 1970–1979

Sale Date: April 2, 2014

Auction Closed

Dark grasses, 1955–1959

Harry Callahan

Dark grasses, 1955–1959

Sale Date: April 2, 2014

Auction Closed

Wall, Chicago, 1957

Harry Callahan

Wall, Chicago, 1957

Sale Date: April 2, 2014

Auction Closed

English (US)

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