Photo exhibit evokes memories of Windsor’s past
Retired Windsor native, Mary Lajeunesse, reminisces about her father, Homer, whose image is depicted as part of the Yousuf Karsh exhibit currently on display at the AGW. (Photo by Y. Murad Erzinclioglu)
by Y. MuradErzinclioglu
Windsorites are being given the opportunity to connect with their automotive past through photographs on display at the Art Gallery of Windsor.
The exhibit features portraiture works of the late Yousuf Karsh, who was commissioned by the Ford Motor Company in 1951 for a promotional campaign. Karsh spent two weeks in Windsor capturing the daily life of the Ford assembly plant workers. The result was an acclaimed set of photographs that shows the Windsor workers in their element and now speaks strongly to the community’s labour history and self-identity.
In 1994 the collection of Ford commission photos was exhibited as part of the AGW’s Ford City: Windsor exhibition, which led to the publishing of Yousuf Karsh: Industrial Images and a national tour displaying the lot. At the end of 2013, Ford announced the donation of all 39 photos to the AGW’s permanent collection.
Former AGW curator and collections manager, Cassandra Getty, led the research into Karsh’s industrial works and co-curated the current exhibition, which opened Jan. 25 and runs through to April.
“It was very successful in terms of inviting viewers to see products as made by their neighbours, as made by fellow Canadians,” said Getty.
She said artists and scholars have underrepresented manufacturing and urban landscapes as part of the Canadian experience. Getty contends the collection not only adds an important note to Karsh’s body of work but understanding the history of Windsor as well.
“The [local] names that we recognize, you can’t think of a city like Windsor without the impact that manufacturing has had on it and in terms of forming its identity.”
Several attendees at the tour pointed out personal connections to the photographs.
Mary Lajeunesse found out about the exhibit from her brother-in-law in Toronto. He had spotted an image of her father, Omar ‘Homer’ Lajeunesse, in a photo advertising the collection’s display. The photo depicts workers in a Windsor assembly plant paint room. She said the day of the tour marked the 18-year anniversary of Omar’s death and that the image brought her comfort and pride.
“He’s been gone since 1996 and to see him there on the wall is just precious,” Lajeunesse said. “He’d be so impressed. He always loved what he did, always loved being a painter. It’s such a tribute, it really is. I’m sure he’s smiling like hell right now.”
Retired Windsor native, Mary Lajeunesse, points out her father, Homer, whose image is depicted as part of the Yousuf Karsh exhibit currently on display at the AGW. (Photo by Y. Murad Erzinclioglu)
AGW director Catherine Mastin said the collection is an important part of the gallery’s archives and Windsor’s history.
“This is a significant contribution to our historical photography collection,” said Mastin. “We have a history in Windsor, whether people know it or not, of having some really wonderful people having passed through the community and done important things, Yousuf Karsh is one of those figures.”
Ford Motor Company of Canada president and CEO Dianne Craig said the company was happy to make the donation valued at over $100,000.
“Yousuf Karsh’s work helps to demonstrate the proud legacy Ford of Canada has in Windsor,” Craig said. “This is a gift to Windsor and a celebration of a special era of our everyday heroes captured by a true master.”
Admission to the gallery is free and more information on the exhibit can be found at www.agw.ca
About Yousuf Karsh:
Yousuf Karsh was born in Mardin, Armenia before immigrating to Canada in 1924 and learning the craft of photography from his Uncle, George Nakash. In 1928, Karsh moved to Boston to apprentice under acclaimed portrait photographer, John Garo, before returning to Canada. For more than six decades he maintained a studio in Ottawa.
Karsh is best known for his iconic 1941 image of Winston Churchill, which saw publication as the cover of LIFE Magazine. The image of Churchill brought Karsh international prominence and is claimed to be the most reproduced photographic portrait in history. Karsh also took photos of Albert Einstein, Ernest Hemingway and many other heads of state and government, and celebrities.
Karsh garnered a dozen Honorary Doctorates from universities in Canada and the United States, Companion to the Order of Canada and a number of professional photography awards. His exhibition history includes showing at the World’s Fair in Montreal in 1967 and at the National Portrait Gallery in London, England.
Yousef Karsh died in 2002, at the age of 93, in Boston.
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