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)
Cape Cod, 1972

Harry Callahan

Cape Cod, 1972

Sale Date: November 26, 2009

Auction Closed

Eleanor, Port Huron, 1954

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, Port Huron, 1954

Sale Date: November 10, 2009

Auction Closed

Chicago, 1950

Harry Callahan

Chicago, 1950

Sale Date: October 22, 2009

Auction Closed

Water's edge (bk w/48 works, half-title, folio)

Harry Callahan

Water's edge (bk w/48 works, half-title, folio)

Sale Date: October 6, 2009

Auction Closed

Photographs (bk w/126 works, folio)

Harry Callahan

Photographs (bk w/126 works, folio)

Sale Date: October 6, 2009

Auction Closed

Aix-en-Provence-Eleanor/Tree double exposure, 1958

Harry Callahan

Aix-en-Provence-Eleanor/Tree double exposure, 1958

Sale Date: October 9, 2009

Auction Closed

Treetops, 1950–1959

Harry Callahan

Treetops, 1950–1959

Sale Date: October 9, 2009

Auction Closed

Eleanor, Chicago, 1958

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, Chicago, 1958

Sale Date: October 9, 2009

Auction Closed

Tree branches-Multiple exposure, 1950–1959

Harry Callahan

Tree branches-Multiple exposure, 1950–1959

Sale Date: October 9, 2009

Auction Closed

Light study, 1940–1949

Harry Callahan

Light study, 1940–1949

Sale Date: October 9, 2009

Auction Closed

Street scene-with left-turn-only sign, 1950–1969

Harry Callahan

Street scene-with left-turn-only sign, 1950–1969

Sale Date: October 9, 2009

Auction Closed

Light abstraction-Seven fifty studio..., 1947

Harry Callahan

Light abstraction-Seven fifty studio..., 1947

Sale Date: October 9, 2009

Auction Closed

Eleanor-Double exposure, 1948

Harry Callahan

Eleanor-Double exposure, 1948

Sale Date: October 9, 2009

Auction Closed

Street scene-Television reflection, 1966–1967

Harry Callahan

Street scene-Television reflection, 1966–1967

Sale Date: October 9, 2009

Auction Closed

Eleanor and Barbara, Chicago, 1953

Harry Callahan

Eleanor and Barbara, Chicago, 1953

Sale Date: October 9, 2009

Auction Closed

Sign detail, 1945

Harry Callahan

Sign detail, 1945

Sale Date: October 9, 2009

Auction Closed

Eleanor, Chicago, 1948

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, Chicago, 1948

Sale Date: October 9, 2009

Auction Closed

Chicago-Trees in snow, 1950

Harry Callahan

Chicago-Trees in snow, 1950

Sale Date: October 9, 2009

Auction Closed

Selected color studies (10 works), 1946–1977

Harry Callahan

Selected color studies (10 works), 1946–1977

Sale Date: October 8, 2009

Auction Closed

Multiple exposure tree, Chicago, 1956

Harry Callahan

Multiple exposure tree, Chicago, 1956

Sale Date: October 8, 2009

Auction Closed

Chicago, Rose's Confectionary, 1955

Harry Callahan

Chicago, Rose's Confectionary, 1955

Sale Date: October 7, 2009

Auction Closed

Chicago, New Royal Bakery, 1955

Harry Callahan

Chicago, New Royal Bakery, 1955

Sale Date: October 7, 2009

Auction Closed

Chicago, 1950

Harry Callahan

Chicago, 1950

Sale Date: October 7, 2009

Auction Closed

Chicago, 1950

Harry Callahan

Chicago, 1950

Sale Date: October 7, 2009

Auction Closed

English (US)

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