Yousuf Karsh captured the world’s most famous faces in black-and-white portraits, many of which are displayed as part of the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art’s current exhibit, Icons of the 20th Century. The portraits include artists and architects, actors and astronauts, politicians and peacemakers, the beautiful and the beatific. Karsh created images that came to define public figures such as Winston Churchill and Ernest Hemingway, photographing 15,000 sittings for some 150,000 negatives. Icons features more than 60 portraits, from a pinstripe-suited Muhammad Ali to an ethereal Audrey Hepburn, with every countenance either familiar or fascinating.

Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot

Karsh drew on technical mastery, immersive research and empathy to capture the essence of his subjects on film, but it was likely his appreciation at being alive at all that drove his engine. He was born in 1908, a few years before the Ottoman Empire began a campaign of genocide against Armenians that resulted in 1.5 million deaths. His family became refugees and suffered tragedies before settling in Syria, with Yousuf eventually being sent to Canada to apprentice for an uncle with a photography studio. He gained confidence after winning $50 for a landscape shot before relocating to Boston at age 19 to assist photographer John Garo.

Garo mentored Karsh for three years, during which Karsh educated himself in the humanities. He also mixed with Boston’s cultural elite in Garo’s studio, which turned into a salon at sundown during the Prohibition years. He was gracious and optimistic, and after settling in Ottowa began to be influenced by theatrical lighting as he began taking portraits of politicians and royalty. By 1936, he had photographed Franklin D. Roosevelt, and by the 1940s he was regularly making trans-Atlantic crossings. He famously removed Churchill’s cigar from the prime minister’s mouth with his own hand, capturing the subsequent defiant expression that came to symbolize Britain’s determination during the war.

In 1946, Karsh received an assignment to create portraits of Hollywood figures. The BGFA features a selection from that period, including Judy Garland, Ingrid Bergman, Peter Lorre, the Marx Brothers and Laurence Olivier. Some of them are adjacent to each other, with Humphrey Bogart smoldering next to Lauren Bacall giving “The Look” and director Alfred Hitchcock facing To Catch a Thief star Grace Kelly. Portraits of artists and writers are grouped together, while an image of cellist Pablo Casals is most effective while occupying its own space.

Princess Elizabeth

Princess Elizabeth

Karsh’s favorite portrait was one of Helen Keller; she saw with her hands, which the viewer is drawn to. Karsh was drawn to hands as well, as demonstrated by his Albert Einstein photo on display, but perhaps his greatest technical achievement was a photo of Georgia O’Keeffe. Her black dress, the day-lit exterior seen through an open door in the background and antlers mounted on a wall behind her create contrast but all are in focus. It’s a perfect example of what Karsh called “the search for greatness of spirit,” which he accomplished by being “always aware that the heart and mind were the true lens of the camera.”

Bellagio, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily, last admission at 7:30 p.m., $16, $14 seniors, students and Nevada residents, children 12 and under free, admission includes audio tour. 702.693.7871