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 Artworks

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

Harry Callahan

Aix-en-Provence, France, 1957

Sale Date: November 27, 2013

Auction Closed

Front of Seagram Building, New York, 1970

Harry Callahan

Front of Seagram Building, New York, 1970

Sale Date: November 27, 2013

Auction Closed

Eleanor, California, 1947

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, California, 1947

Sale Date: November 22, 2013

Auction Closed

Eleanor, Chicago, 1948

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, Chicago, 1948

Sale Date: November 7, 2013

Auction Closed

Eleanor, Chicago, 1954

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, Chicago, 1954

Sale Date: November 7, 2013

Auction Closed

Providence, 1984

Harry Callahan

Providence, 1984

Sale Date: November 2, 2013

Auction Closed

Eleanor, Chicago, 1948

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, Chicago, 1948

Sale Date: October 29, 2013

Auction Closed

Selected Images (10 works), 1957–1979

Harry Callahan

Selected Images (10 works), 1957–1979

Sale Date: October 29, 2013

Auction Closed

Lake Michigan, 1949

Harry Callahan

Lake Michigan, 1949

Sale Date: October 3, 2013

Auction Closed

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, 1952

Harry Callahan

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, 1952

Sale Date: October 1, 2013

Auction Closed

Wells Street, Chicago, 1949

Harry Callahan

Wells Street, Chicago, 1949

Sale Date: October 1, 2013

Auction Closed

Barbara, Chicago, 1953

Harry Callahan

Barbara, Chicago, 1953

Sale Date: October 1, 2013

Auction Closed

Atlanta, 1977

Harry Callahan

Atlanta, 1977

Sale Date: October 17, 2013

Auction Closed

Eleanor, Port Huron, 1954

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, Port Huron, 1954

Sale Date: October 17, 2013

Auction Closed

Eleanor (Nude on bed), 1953

Harry Callahan

Eleanor (Nude on bed), 1953

Sale Date: October 17, 2013

Auction Closed

Eleanor, Chicago, 1947

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, Chicago, 1947

Sale Date: October 17, 2013

Auction Closed

Eleanor and Barbara, 1955

Harry Callahan

Eleanor and Barbara, 1955

Sale Date: October 2, 2013

Auction Closed

Silhouette with Feather and Eleanor (Arms..., 1953

Harry Callahan

Silhouette with Feather and Eleanor (Arms..., 1953

Sale Date: October 2, 2013

Auction Closed

Mannequins in the window, 1960–1969

Harry Callahan

Mannequins in the window, 1960–1969

Sale Date: October 2, 2013

Auction Closed

Eleanor, 1948

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, 1948

Sale Date: October 2, 2013

Auction Closed

Ivy tentacles on glass, 1952

Harry Callahan

Ivy tentacles on glass, 1952

Sale Date: October 2, 2013

Auction Closed

Chicago (Trees in snow), 1950

Harry Callahan

Chicago (Trees in snow), 1950

Sale Date: October 2, 2013

Auction Closed

Multiple exposure tree, 1956

Harry Callahan

Multiple exposure tree, 1956

Sale Date: October 2, 2013

Auction Closed

Chicago (Street), 1949

Harry Callahan

Chicago (Street), 1949

Sale Date: October 2, 2013

Auction Closed