Vano was born in
Nové Zámky,
Czechoslovakia, to parents of
Hungarian descent. After his exams in 1967, instead of joining the armed forces for duty, he emigrated via
Yugoslavia and Italy to the United States where he made a living as a
hairdresser and makeup artist. Later on, he worked as an assistant for photographers (
Horst P. Horst,
Marco Glaviano or
Leo Castelli). Since 1984 he has worked as an independent photographer. He worked in New York City, Paris, Milan and Prague, where he photographed for fashion magazines such as
Cosmopolitan, ''
Harper's Bazaar and Vogue.'' Since 1995 he lives in Prague, where in 1996 to 2003 he worked as artistic director of the Czech edition of the
Elle magazine, and then in 2009 to 2014 as creative director at
Czechoslovak Models. Since then he has worked as a freelance photographer. Vano is primarily a
fashion and
commercial photographer. He makes black and white
portraits and male nudes on film and also a now little-used technique of
platinotype. He prefers photographing in daylight. In 2010 he was awarded the European Trebbia award for creative activities. Vano's largest exhibition called
The Platinum Collection, referencing his signature technique, took place in Prague's Mánes venue in 2009. ==Publications==