Callahan, Rose

American, b. 1973 San Francisco, CA

BiographyRose Callahan makes photographs and films that explore the transformative power of personal style. Her character-driven portraits of artists and cultural tastemakers are celebrations of individuality and, as she told Hatchers in 2020, “the unique and authentic beauty of the people [she] photographs.” In 2008, she began her most well-known body of work, The Dandy Portraits, where she captured the stylish men who embodied the exceptional elegance of the “dandy” archetype. This project became an ongoing exploration of the concept of the dandy in the 21st century as it transcends its European history and becomes a diverse culture of curated self-expression.

Callahan’s portraits of Barima Owusu-Nyantekyi and Iké Udé, two artists who are also both in the Museum of Contemporary Photography permanent collection, were featured in the 2015 MoCP exhibition Dandy Lion: (Re)Articulating Black Masculine Identity. This exhibition collected images of Black dandies from around the world who use their personal style to rebel against the stereotypes that society typically applies to their identity by assimilating classical European fashion with African Disaporan aesthetics and sensibilities.

Rose Callahan holds a BFA from California College of the Arts, Oakland (1999). Shortly after graduating, she moved to New York City. The Dandy Portraits began as a blog but has since resulted in two books in collaboration with Nathaniel “Natty” Adams: I am Dandy (2013) and We Are Dandy (2016). Her solo exhibition Artist/Rebel/Dandy was shown at Rhode Island School of Design Museum in 2013. She is the photographer for the Metropolitan Opera’s style blog “Last Night at the Met,” where she documents the bold, non-conformist fashions of the audience. Callahan’s photographs have appeared in Vogue, Esquire, GQ, Elle, and various other magazines and journals.