Walton Ford

Walton Ford is an American visual artist who makes paintings and prints in the style of naturalist illustrations, often depicting extinct species. In his more recent series of work such as shown in his 2025 "Tutto" exhibition at Gagosian Gallery in New York City, he has taken a more painterly approach. Each of his paintings is a meticulous, realistic study in flora and fauna, and is filled with symbols, clues, and jokes referencing texts ranging from colonial literature, to folktales, to travel guides. The paintings are complex allegorical narratives that critique the history of colonialism, industrialism, politics, natural science, and humanity's effect on the environment.