Vintage YOUSUF KARSH Photogravure Portrait Art Photo, 1960s - LAURENCE OLIVIER

Photographer: Yousuf Karsh (Armenian-born Canadian, 1908-2002). Internationally renowned photographer best known for his iconic portraits of historical figures including world leaders, artists, writers, athletes, actors, scientists, intellectuals, and more.

Subject: Portrait of

Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM, English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson, Peggy Ashcroft and John Gielgud, dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles.

Type Of Print: Authentic vintage photogravure (Etched plate made from the original image, and authorized by Karsh)

Date Of Print: 1960s

Original Issue: Bound sheet-fed photogravure

Image Size: 9.5" x 12"

Finish: Satin Matte

Print Border: No border; full bleed print

Condition:

Very good: slight wear to left side of image where it was bound into original portfolio; text on reverse

For sale is an authentic (NOT a modern reprint) vintage 1960s photogravure (also known as a héliogravure) by the internationally renowned Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh. This vintage sheet-fed gravure plate was originally issued as part of a now rare bound photogravure portfolio, engraved and printed in quality photogravure. The paper is of fine quality and the prints themselves are beautiful. Karsh himself wrote the following words regarding these richly crafted photogravures: "for the first time the photographs that have been my life's work were reproduced by a mechanical process with complete fidelity. So true is the result, indeed, that friends have said they find it difficult to distinguish between these photogravure plates and the hand-printed originals from my darkroom. The production of these plates involved considerable technical achievement. But technology is only a means to an end. More significant and gratifying to me is that many thousands of people, who previously may not have seen an original Karsh photographic print but had to rely on the often inadequate reproduction of standard printing methods, were now able to see the fine details, the subtle graduations, the delicate nuances which reveal underlying character". Yousuf Karsh's iconic photographic portraits are held in museums and important photography collections throughout the world.