Tom Baril

Tom Baril (b. 1952, Putnam, Connecticut) is a contemporary American photographer known for his evocative Polaroid and wet-collodion prints of flowers, landscapes, and architectural subjects. He earned his BFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts in 1980, where he developed a strong foundation in both traditional and experimental photographic processes.

In his final year of study, Baril worked as a printer for the renowned photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, mastering important technical skills that would inform his own practice. While he has deliberately distanced himself from Mapplethorpe’s stylistic approach, Baril continues to contribute as a printer for the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, maintaining a professional connection to the iconic photographer’s legacy.

Baril’s work emphasizes the delicate interplay of light, texture, and materiality, whether capturing the fragile petals of flowers, the geometric patterns of buildings, or the atmospheric qualities of landscapes. His use of Polaroid and wet-collodion techniques allows for a unique immediacy and depth in each image, bridging contemporary vision with historical photographic methods.

His photographs are included in prominent collections, such as the Brooklyn Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, among others. Today, Baril lives and works in New York, continuing to explore the expressive possibilities of photographic media while maintaining a distinctive voice in contemporary American photography.