Laszlo Layton | American, b. 1959
Laszlo Layton’s photographs of birds, shells, mammal and marine specimens are drawn from his Cabinet of Curiosities and Pictorial Zoology series, inspired by the richly illustrated natural-history volumes of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Using vintage soft-focus lenses and early photographic processes, including toned cyanotypes and, at times, hand coloring, Layton transforms his subjects into evocative studies that merge scientific observation with the romantic character of historical natural-history illustration.
Laszlo Layton’s work is widely exhibited and collected. It is included in such permanent collections as The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art; The L.A. County Museum of Art; and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Books include Pictorial Zoology (Nazraeli Press, 2012).