Clarence John Laughlin (1905–1985) was a uniquely enigmatic American photographer whose work defies simple categorization, variously labeled surrealist, romantic, modernist, or fantasist.

Haunter of Ruins, drawn from the Historic New Orleans Collection, features a selection of Laughlin’s most iconic photographs, including haunting images of decaying Southern architecture, landscapes, cemetery views, and symbolic still lifes. Creating over 17,000 photographs between 1930 and 1965, Laughlin sought to transform ordinary subjects into profound, symbolic visions, using his vivid imagination and intellect. His interpretive texts, often rewritten over time, reflect his ongoing dialogue between image and meaning. This interplay between fact and metaphor lends his work a layered, sometimes surreal tension.

Far ahead of his contemporaries, Laughlin challenged prevailing photographic norms, eschewing both romanticism and strict objectivity, in favor of deeply personal, theatrical imagery. Haunter of Ruins, accompanied by essays from writers like Andrei Codrescu, honors Laughlin’s idiosyncratic vision and the enduring mystery of his photographic legacy.

WORKS
65

DIMENSIONS

8 x 10 to 20 x 24 (inches)

SPACE REQUIREMENTS

Aprox. 225 linear feet

INQUIRIES

exhibitions@curatorial.org
626.577.0044