California 740 Brian Leighton

Image © Brian Leighton

About the Artist

It takes extraordinary vision and creativity to look at an everyday object and find the magnificence that no one has seen before. For Brian Leighton, finding beauty in the details of things is the focus of his exceptional photography. His celebrated work in nudes, for example, encourages his viewer to take a closer look at his unique perspective.

In fact, Leighton was named “Best Nude Portrait Photographer” in New York Magazine’s Best of 2004. “Leighton makes such vividly imagined, crisp, personal black and white portraits.” (New York Magazine’s Best of New York).

Vitals Woman magazine picked Leighton as the best in nude portrait commissions in March 2005.

“More evocative of Ansel Adams than Playboy, Mr. Leighton’s black-and-white nudes usually make their subjects look good, even in the flesh….Through his eye, the subjects see their body made into art.” (Joyce Chang, The New York Times Sunday Styles, February 2, 2003).

In his most recent work, Leighton moves from exploring the anatomy of the human form to the anatomy of flowers, drawing distinct parallels as he captures the macro details of nature’s most extraordinary shapes.

This body of work, which he refers to as “Mesh Screens”, explores the vibrant colors and exquisite contours of the flowers while revealing nature’s most hidden detail: movement. The actual texture of his flowers comes to life through a unique process of printing the images on archival screen material. When combined with light, the result is an iridescent, almost plasma-screen effect that imitates the graceful and subtle movements of the flower itself.

“Leighton has risen to the fore in New York City with art photography that has captured the attention of the media, gallery owners and collectors throughout the world.”(Jean McKig, The Desert Sun).

Leighton’s sensual and graphic work has been exhibited in select galleries, including Yossi Milo (NYC), Holden Luntz Gallery (Palm Beach, FL) Kenneth Winslow Gallery (NYC), The Pearl (Stone Ridge, N.Y.) and Desert Art Source, (Palm Desert, CA) and is regularly included in group shows and designer showhouses in New York City and across the country. Additionally, his work is part of many prominent corporate and private collections and is part of several museum collections, including the Contemporary Museum of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, and The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), New York, N.Y.

Leighton has been featured on ABC Eyewitness News, Fox News, CNN and 1010 WINS Radio. His award-winning photographs appeared regularly on the HBO series, Sex and the City and have been the subject of articles in The New York Times Sunday Styles, New York Magazine, Time Out New York, More, Vitals Woman, and Dutch.

Leighton’s work can be found through select galleries, art dealers, interior designers and direct from the artist’s studio in NYC. His bodies of work can be previewed on his website.