Artist Index: Callahan, Harry

Ireland. 1979. Dye transfer print. 24,4 x 36,7 cm (44,4 x 56,5 cm). Unsigned.

In the 1980s, Harry Callahan’s foray into color photography marked a significant evolution in his artistic practice. Departing from the stark tonal contrasts of his earlier black-and-white work, Callahan embraced vibrant hues and complex compositions. He frequently captured urban scenes, nature, and architectural details, utilizing techniques like multiple exposures and reflections in glass surfaces to create striking visual effects. This period demonstrated his deep engagement with the possibilities of color, displaying his continued exploration of form, light, and abstraction. Notably, prints of this work are held in the collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.Prints of this work are in the collections of the International Centre of Photography and the Nelson Atkins Museum. – Some light handling creases, otherwise in excellent condition.

Atlanta. 1984. Dye transfer print. 24,4 x 36,7 cm (45,7 x 56 cm). Signed "Callahan" in pencil on the verso.

Another print of this work is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York. – Some small creases in margins, otherwise in near excellent condition.

Provincetown Beach, Cape Cod. 1972. Vintage gelatin silver print. 15,3 x 20 cm (20,4 x 25,2 cm). Signed in pencil in lower right margin below the image as well as titled and signed in pencil on the verso.

Harry Callahan’s Cape Cod photographs exemplify his modernist approach to light, space, and form, capturing the vastness of the coastal landscape with a quiet, meditative simplicity. These images, often featuring expansive beaches, delicate horizon lines, and solitary human figures, reflect his lifelong fascination with minimalism and the interplay between nature and human presence. While his earlier work explored abstraction, multiple exposures, and urban geometry, his Cape Cod series embraces a more serene, observational style, emphasizing negative space and tonal subtlety. Prints of this work are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Whitney Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, The Getty Museum, the Museum of Fine Art Boston, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington. – Corners slightly bumped, otherwise in near excellent condition.

Lit.: John Szarkowski. Harry Callahan. New York, 1977. ill. p. 186.
Harry Callahan. Harry Callahan: Water’s Edge. New York, 1980. ill. plate 1.
Sarah Greenough. Harry Callahan. Boston, 2001. ill. p. 150.
Britt Salvesen and John Szarkowski. Harry Callahan: The Photographer at Work. New Haven, 2006. ill. p. 6.

Cape Cod. Circa 1972. Gelatin silver print. 24,3 x 24,5 cm (27,8 x 30,2 cm). Signed by the photographer in pencil in margin lower right.

Harry Callahan was born in Detroit, Michigan and started photographing in 1938. In 1946, he was appointed by László Moholy-Nagy to teach photography at the Institute of Design in Chicago. By the time he retired in 1977, he was teaching at the Rhode Island School of Design. His technical method was to go out almost every morning, walk the city he lived in and take numerous pictures. He then spent almost every afternoon making proof prints of that day's best negatives. Yet, in spite of all his activity, Callahan, by his own estimates, produced no more than half a dozen final images a year. – Small retouched spot, minimal diagonal scuff line in upper sky area, only visible at an angle, one minimal handling dent upper right, corners minimally bumped, otherwise a fine tonal print in near excellent condition.

Lit.: The Museum of Modern Art. Harry Callahan. New York 1976/77, ill. p. 192.
Harry Callahan. Water's Edge. New York 1980, ill. p. 47.
Double Vision: Photographs from the Strauss Collection. University Art Museum, Long Beach 2000, ill.

Callahan, Harry. Color. 1941-1980. Edited by Robert Tow and Ricker Winsor. Foreword by Jonathan Williams. Afterword by A. D. Coleman. 10 Bl. Mit ca. 50 Abb. auf Tafeln nach Fotografien von Harry Callahan. 35 x 35,5 cm. OLeinenband mit monr. Deckelillustration (etwas lichtrandig). In OLeinenschuber. (Los Angeles, Matrix, 1980).
Sehr gutes Exemplar.

Skyscrapers. 1970s/printed early 1980s. Dye transfer print. 24,2 x 36,5 cm (45,3 x 56,8 cm). Unsigned.

Harry Callahan's color photographs, crafted in the later years of his career, are highly acclaimed for their vivid, introspective, and frequently abstract characteristics. These images delve into a diverse array of subjects, encompassing landscapes, cityscapes, and portraiture. The introduction of color to his work brought an extra dimension of depth and emotional resonance, enriching his already compelling body of photographic art. – A few handling marks in margins, a few minimal surface scuff marks, small tear in upper right corner in margin, otherwise in very good condition.

"Acme Sign Shop, Providence". 1977/printed 1980-81. Dye transfer print. 22,3 x 34 cm (28,2 x 35,4 cm). Signed by the photographer in pencil in margin lower right; number notations in pencil on the verso.

Harry Callahan was born in Detroit, Michigan and started photographing in 1938. In 1946, he was appointed by László Moholy-Nagy to teach photography at the Institute of Design in Chicago. By the time he retired in 1977, he was teaching at the Rhode Island School of Design. His technical method was to go out almost every morning, walk the city he lived in and take numerous pictures. He then spent almost every afternoon making proof prints of that day's best negatives. He also traveled extensively. Yet, in spite of all his activity, Callahan, by his own estimates, produced no more than half a dozen final images a year. – Some light handling marks in margins, otherwise in very good condition with strong colors.

Cape Cod, Grass. Circa 1979/printed 1980s. Dye transfer print. 28,5 x 27,5 cm (39 x 35 cm). Unsigned, with printer's stamp and signed by the printer in pencil on the verso.

In very good condition with strong colors.

Providence. 1961/printed 1980s. Dye transfer print. 24 x 36,5 cm (44,8 x 57 cm).

A few light handling marks in margins, otherwise in excellent condition with strong colors.

Ireland. 1979/printed early 1980s. Dye transfer print. 24 x 36,8 cm (44,6 x 57,2 cm). Number notations in pencil on the verso.

In very good condition with bright colors.

Lit.: Keith F. Davis. Harry Callahan: New Color, Photographs 1978 - 1988. Kansas City 1988, ill. p. 39.

Atlanta 1978; New York 1978. Printed early 1980s. 2 dye transfer prints. Each circa 18 x 26 cm (27 x 35,7 cm).

In excellent condition.

Ireland. 1979/printed 1980s. Dye transfer print. 24,5 x 36,5 cm (44,5 x 57 cm).

Some handling creases in the margin, otherwise in near excellent condition with strong colors.

Lit.: Keith F. Davis. Harry Callahan: New Color, Photographs 1978 - 1988. Kansas City 1988, ill. p. 41.

Ireland. 1979/printed 1980s. Dye transfer print. 24,2 x 36,5 cm (44,5 x 57 cm).

Morocco.1981/printed 1980s. Dye transfer print. 24,2 x 36,3 cm.



Literatur: Keith F. Davis. Harry Callahan: New Color, Photographs 1978 - 1988. Kansas City 1988, ill. p. 55 and cover illustration.

Ireland. 1979/printed early 1980s. Dye transfer print. 24,3 x 36,7 cm (44,8 x 56 cm). Number notations in pencil on the verso.

A few handling marks and crease in upper left in margin, otherwise in near excellent condition.

Lit.: Keith F. Davis. Harry Callahan: New Color, Photographs 1978 - 1988. Kansas City 1988, ill. p. 38.