Brett Weston (1911-1993) is widely regarded as one of the leading photographers of the twentieth century. Known primarily for his bold compositions based on Western landscapes and natural forms and extraordinary printing style, he was among a small group of California photographers in the 1930s, known as the Group f/64, who favored large-format view cameras, straight and uncropped images, and stark black-and-white prints.

At age 13, Edward Weston brought his son Brett to Mexico, where he was exposed to modern art through his father’s artist acquaintances, including José Clemente Orozco, Tina Modotti, Frida Kahlo, David Alfaro Siqueros and Diego Rivera, who impacted Weston’s stylistic development and sense of design. Weston’s regular use of close ups and reliance on strong black and white contrasts to alter the appearance of his subject matter informed his approach to abstraction, characteristics by which he would be identified throughout his almost seventy year career.

At seventeen a group of Weston’s images were included in the German exhibition "Film und Foto", considered one of the most important avantgarde exhibitions held between the two World Wars. This recognition brought him international attention and inclusion in numerous photographic exhibitions in the following years. Since 1932, he has had more than 100 solo exhibitions of his work at such venues as the de Young Museum in San Francisco, the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, and the Eastman Museum in Rochester. In 1947 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, and in 1973, a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to photograph Alaska. Brett Weston's work can be found in major collections across the country, including the Cleveland Museum of Art, Detroit Institute of Arts, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the J. Paul Getty Museum.