I remember a scene in Ocean’s 11 here Danny and Tess talk about famous impressionist painters. This is what I was thinking about when I headed to the Gallery of Fine Art at the Bellagio. I had visions of Monet, Manet, and Picasso. After I paid my $16 entry fee and picked up the audio guide I stepped inside…to find out that once again Pop Culture had incorrectly shaped my knowledge of a place. Instead of grand paintings I was greeted with monochromatic portraits. That is when I learned the Bellagio Gallery frequently changes up its exhibitions and currently they were hosting a retrospective of the work of renowned portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh.
Yousuf Karsh self-portrait 1952
I had never heard of the man before, but as I walked I realized I had seen his work before. I stood transfixed at the detail contained in the large prints. I had done darkroom photography in high school, so I knew how hard it was to get and print the level of detail I now saw. Â And I was stunned by all the famous people he photographed. It was like a who’s who of the last 100 years. Famous faces peaked out from every wall. I felt like I was staring into their soul. Here are some of my favorites:
JFK
Albert Einstein
Nelson Mandela
Helen Keller
Jacqueline Kennedy
Alfred Hitchcock
Georgia O’Keeffe
I was amused to see the one below, even though no Picasso’s were on display, at least there was a photo of him!
Pablo Picasso
The exhibit runs until September 5th. Be sure to use the audio guide, it shared a lot of details on each photography session on how Karsh got his subjects to open up.
Museum Monday is an every other week series about museum news, objects, and reviews.
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