Matthew Rolston (*1955 in Los Angeles) is an American artist who works in photography and video; his practice centers on portraiture, most notably subjects drawn from celebrity culture. Rolston, who lives and works in Los Angeles, California, studied at Chouinard Art Institute, Otis College of Art & Design, and Art Center College of Design, all in Los Angeles. While still a student at Art Center, Rolston was discovered by Andy Warhol, who immediately commissioned portraits for »Interview« magazine, followed by assignments for »Rolling Stone«, from founding editor Jann Wenner, and soon after, by »Vanity Fair«, under editors Tina Brown and later, Graydon Carter.

Robert Sobieszek, the legendary former Curator of Photography for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), compared Rolston’s work to the »four mega-greats of the ’50s and ’60s: Avedon, Hiro, Penn and Skrebneski… I think Rolston is one of the foremost editorial, glamour/fashion photographers working today,« he said, »giving us immensely sophisticated, exciting, glamorous shots and portraits that surround us daily.«

Rolston’s 1980s images are notable for their artful lighting and detail-rich sets. His work has helped define the contemporary aesthetics of American portrait photography.