The McMichael Rings in 2009 with Three New Exhibitions:
Yousuf Karsh: Industrial Images;
“Karshed”: Yousuf Karsh Selected Portraits; and
A Brush with War: Military Art from Korea to Afghanistan
December 30, 2008 Kleinburg, ON –The McMichael Canadian Art Collection will kick off 2009 with three new, must-see exhibitions: Yousuf Karsh: Industrial Images; “Karshed”: Yousuf Karsh Selected Portraits; and A Brush with War: Military Art from Korea to Afghanistan. Opening on January 31, 2009, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of iconic Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh, McMichael visitors will have the opportunity to view two exhibitions that showcase a selection of Karsh’s industrial works and an exclusive collection of thirty of his rare, limited edition portraits. Visitors will also be able to experience A Brush with War: Military Art from Korea to Afghanistan, an exhibition of extraordinary war art, premiering at the McMichael on January 17, 2009.
The Yousuf Karsh: Industrial Images exhibition is a culmination of Karsh’s industrial and commercial work with the Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited, Atlas Steel in Welland, Ontario, and Sharon Steel in Pennsylvania, and a variety of other commercial images. The exhibition explores the tone of Karsh’s industrial and commercial portraits in relation to the work and life philosophies prevalent in post-WWII North America. It also explores consumerism, marketing, and the political atmosphere in Canada during the 1950s through his portraits.
“It is the men who tell the company’s story best,” said Karsh. “They give the machines life and movement. It is really their skill that gives [a car] strength and beauty.” Karsh’s unique approach to his industrial portraits—concentrating on his subjects instead of the machinery—gave his sitters a heroic stature, transforming ordinary automotive workers into stars. This project is organized and circulated by the Art Gallery of Windsor with the support of the Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited, the Portrait Gallery of Canada, a program of the Library and Archives Canada, the Museums Assistance Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage, CAW-TCA Canada, and Estrellita Karsh.
“Karshed”: Yousuf Karsh Selected Portraits is a collection of two special portfolios of thirty rare, limited edition portraits by Karsh. Karsh’s celebrated photographs of Muhammad Ali, Winston Churchill, Jacques Cousteau, Ernest Hemingway, Helen Keller, Georgia O’Keeffe, Andy Warhol, and many more, will be shown exclusively at the McMichael, direct from the Estate of Yousuf Karsh in California.
The exhibition, A Brush with War: Military Art from Korea to Afghanistan, explores the two military art programs that started more than twenty years after the Second World War; the Canadian Armed Forces Civilian Artists Program (1968-1995) and the Canadian Forces Artists Program (2001- present). Initially influenced by the art of the First and Second World War programs, over the past sixty years military art has moved gradually in new directions, current works expressing artists’ more personal rather than documentary responses to their subjects. This exhibition is organized by the travelling exhibition program of the Canadian War Museum and the Canadian Museum of Civilization in partnership with the Directorate of History and Heritage, Department of National Defence. This exhibition has been made possible in part by a generous donation from the Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation.
“These outstanding special exhibitions celebrate Canadian artists and Canadian pride,” said Tom Smart, Executive Director and CEO for the McMichael. “It is an honour to be able to commemorate Yousuf Karsh’s 100th anniversary at the McMichael, and to showcase an extraordinary selection of his rare, limited edition portraits. Karsh’s works celebrate personal and Canadian industrial domestic pride. Similarly, our A Brush with War: Military Art from Korea to Afghanistan exhibition artistically captures the dangerous and proud work of our Canadian military in service to their country.”
About the Gallery
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Culture. It is the foremost venue in the country showcasing the Group of Seven and their contemporaries. In addition to touring exhibitions, its permanent collection consists of more than 5,500 artworks, including paintings by the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, First Nations and Inuit artists.
The gallery is located on Islington Avenue, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in Kleinburg, and is open daily from 10 am to 4 pm.
For further information:
Stephen Weir, Publicist
Gallery: 905.893.1121 ext. 2529
Toronto Office: 416.489.5868
Cell: 416.801.3101
s1weir@aol.com or sweir5492@rogers.com
Cathy Lepiane, Communications Coordinator
McMichael Canadian Art Collection
905.893.1121 ext. 2210
clepiane@mcmichael.com
