Yousuf Karsh: Life & Work
Yousuf Karsh: Life & Work
  • SKU: 9781487103781
  • BARCODE: 9781487103781
  • VENDOR: BooksCloud

Yousuf Karsh: Life & Work - Hardcover

$50.20
 per 
In stock!
People are currently viewing this
Select The Options Above
Description

by Melissa Rombout (Author), Sara Angel (Introduction by)

Back Jacket

Yousuf Karsh (1908?2002) is widely recognized as one of the leading portrait photographers of the twentieth century. Arriving in Canada alone in 1924 as a fifteen-year-old displaced refugee of the Armenian genocide, Karsh mastered the art of portraiture through apprenticeships in stylish studios of the Pictorialist age. With his camera, he sought to capture the essential nature of his subjects in what he called the ?elusive moment of truth.? Over the course of six decades, ?Karsh of Ottawa? created a unique visual chronicle of celebrated legends and so-called ordinary sitters, becoming a celebrity in his own right.

In Yousuf Karsh: Life & Work, author Melissa Rombout introduces Karsh to new audiences by exploring his artistic choices in the wider context of twentieth-century portraiture practice. His vast body of work?encompassing more than 15,000 portrait sittings?spans decades of changing photographic technologies. Karsh made iconic portraits of leading political, scientific, industry, and cultural figures such as Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II, Martin Luther King, Jean Paul Riopelle, Andy Warhol, Margaret Atwood, Robert Oppenheimer, and Nelson Mandela.

This book offers a compelling examination of Karsh as an image-maker in every sense of the term. Taking an in-depth look at his acclaimed oeuvre, Rombout considers how Karsh presented ideals of greatness, beauty, and order as timeless individual qualities in the face of collective alienation, fragmentation, and relentless change.

Author Biography

Melissa Rombout is an independent curator and lecturer on histories of photography. She received her PhD from Amsterdam's School for Cultural Analysis considering the political performativity of art photography. Rombout has had a prolific career working with museums, libraries, and archives in Canada and internationally. In her former role as photohistorian at Library and Archives Canada, she specialized in research on the vast Yousuf Karsh archive and has since curated several Karsh exhibitions organized in Ottawa, London, and Canberra.

Number of Pages: 128
Dimensions: 0.81 x 11.01 x 7.91 IN
Publication Date: November 07, 2025
Add to Cart Select The Options Above

Reviews

Exceptional Support and Clean Code

I was impressed by how fast the support team responded to my questions. Even as someone with basic coding knowledge, I found the theme incredibly easy to work with. The code is well-organized, and everything runs smoothly.

— Lucas M

Small Business Owner (Electronics Store)

Reliable Theme with Excellent Customer Service

After trying multiple themes, I finally chose Wokiee — and haven’t looked back. It’s reliable, modern, and easy to customize without coding. What impressed me most was their support team: fast, helpful, and willing to assist even with third-party issues. That level of service is rare!

— Sophie N

Owner of a Home Decor Store

Beautiful Design and Great Flexibility

Wokiee is hands down the best Shopify theme I’ve used. The design options are stunning and fully customizable. I was able to build a high-converting store without any external developers.

— Rachel L

Fashion Brand Founder

Top-Notch Support and Regular Updates

The customer support team is incredible — helpful, responsive, and very professional. They’ve helped me resolve everything from layout tweaks to app integrations. Plus, the theme is regularly updated with new features.

— David P

Shopify Consultant

Amazing Customization Options"!

Wokiee gave me full creative control over my store’s layout and visuals. The theme’s design blocks are so flexible that I could create something truly unique — without touching a single line of code.

— James T

Handmade Goods Seller

High-Quality Theme with Professional Code

You can tell Wokiee was built by pros. The code is clean and optimized for performance. No bloated features — just what you need. My store loads fast and looks great on all devices.

— Anna V

UI/UX Designer