Harry Morey Callahan
photographer
Harry Morey Callahan (1912–1999) was a prominent American photographer and educator known for his innovative approach to capturing everyday life. A self-taught artist who began photography in 1938, he became a significant figure in modern photography by exploring themes of light, shadow, form, and the nuances of common objects and urban landscapes. He taught at both the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence. Callahan's work is characterized by its personal nature, often featuring his wife Eleanor and their daughter Barbara as subjects. His career was marked by technical experimentation with multiple exposures and color photography, and he represented the United States in the Venice Biennale in 1978.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]
Themes
- everyday life
- urban landscapes
- light and shadow
- form
- multiple exposure
- color photography
Books
Works by Harry Morey Callahan
- Harry Callahan 1967 · Museum of Modern Art · book · English With an introductory essay by Paul Sherman.
- Harry Callahan: Color: 1941–1980 1980 · Matrix Publications · book · English ISBN 978-0936554006 Edited by Robert Tow and Ricker Winsor.
- Water's Edge 1980 · Callaway · book · English ISBN 9780935112016 With an introductory poem by A. R. Ammons and an afterword by Callahan.
- Eleanor 1984 · Callaway · book · English ISBN 978-0935112115
- Harry Callahan: New Color: Photographs 1978-1987 1988 · Hallmark Cards · book · English ISBN 978-0875296241 Exhibition catalogue.
- Harry Callahan 1999 · Aperture · book · English ISBN 978-0893818210 With an essay by Jonathan Williams.
- Harry Callahan: Retrospective 2013 · Kehrer Verlag · book · English ISBN 978-3868283587 Exhibition catalogue.
- Harry Callahan: Photos 1996 · National Gallery of Art · book · English ISBN 978-0821223130 Exhibition catalogue.
- Seven Collages 2012 · Steidl · book · English ISBN 978-3869301402 With an essay by Julian Cox.
- Harry Callahan: The Street 2016 · Black Dog Publishing · book · English ISBN 978-1910433584 Curated and edited by Grant Arnold. Exhibition catalogue.
Exhibitions
- 1951 Harry Callahan Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL solo
- 1976 Harry Callahan Museum of Modern Art, New York solo
- 2011 Harry Callahan at 100 National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. solo
Awards
- 1956 Graham Foundation Award
- 1993 Edward MacDowell Medal MacDowell Colony
- 1996 National Medal of Arts
References
- Amanda Hopkinson. Harry Callahan obituary. The Guardian. 1999 link
- Andy Grundberg. Harry Callahan, Cool Master of the Commonplace, Dies at 86. The New York Times. 1999 link
- Suzanne Muchnic. Eleanor Callahan dies at 95; subject of photos by husband, Harry. Los-Angeles Times. 2012 link
- Todd Webb, 94, Peripatetic Photographer. The New York Times. 2000 link
- Photographer Harry Callahan at 100. PBS NewsHour. 2011 link
- Hannah Booth. The big picture: Eleanor and Barbara, by Harry Callahan. The Guardian. 2012 link
- Andy Grundberg. Photography: New Work in Color by Callahan. The New York Times. 1985 link
- Sean O'Hagan. Portraits of women – by the men who loved them. The Guardian. 2013 link
- Richard B. Woodward. Eleanor Callahan, Photographic Muse for Harry Callahan, Dies at 95. The New York Times. 2012 link
- Harry Callahan (photographer). Wikipedia. 2025 link
- Harry Callahan Exhibition Brochure. Granet Museum. 2019