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George Platt Lynes Wall Decorations

George Platt Lynes was lauded as one the world’s top commercial photographers in the first half of the 20th century, known for his portraits of important cultural figures, surreal fashion shoots and innovative use of lighting and evocative sets. However, in an era when homosexuality was considered a crime, Lynes had to keep secret his best work: erotic nude photographs of men.

Born in 1907 in New Jersey, Lynes attended the Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, graduating in 1925. In his youth, Lynes had dreamed of becoming a writer. He published a literary journal and opened a bookstore, both of which were unsuccessful. When he inherited a trove of photographic equipment from a friend, Lynes turned his focus toward a career in photography.

Self-taught, Lynes proved to be a gifted talent behind the camera. His preternatural understanding of the interplay between light, shadow and form garnered critical acclaim. In 1932, Lynes had his first solo exhibition, at Leggett Gallery, followed by a two-artist show with photographer Walker Evans at Julien Levy Gallery. By 1933, Lynes became a central figure in New York photography, whose stylized technique was sought by magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country and Vogue

In 1935, the American Ballet Company (now the New York City Ballet) commissioned Lynes to photograph their principal dancers and performances, leading to Lynes’s appointment as the company’s primary photographer for the next 20 years. 

While Lynes enjoyed immense success as a fashion and commercial photographer from the 1930s to the 1950s, he was secretly photographing male nudes — a subject considered highly taboo at the time. Fearing criminal reprisal, Lynes hid the photos and his sexual orientation from the public, sharing his work with a few select friends. Among them was Dr. Alfred Kinsey, founder of the Kinsey Institute, who, in the late 1940s, was researching human sexuality. Enthralled by Lynes’s figurative, black and white photos of the male form, Kinsey purchased more than 600 prints and several hundred negatives at the risk of prosecution.

After he was diagnosed with lung cancer, in 1955, Lynes destroyed many of his negatives and prints. However, he entrusted a sizeable volume of his male nudes to the Kinsey Institute, which today holds the largest collection of Lynes’s works, second only to the Lynes estate. In 2019, an exhibition of images culled from the Kinsey collection, “Sensual/Sexual/Social: The Photography of George Platt Lynes,” was held at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields

Long after his death, Lynes’s legacy has shaped the evolution of sexual and gender norms. His works are highly sought by galleries and collectors of modern and contemporary photography.

On 1stDibs, discover a range of George Platt Lynes photography.

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Creator: George Platt Lynes
George Platt Lynes Original B&W Fashion Photograph, Metropolitan Museum Art
By George Platt Lynes
Located in Palm Springs, CA
The silver gelatin photograph was printed by the photography department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in the 1990s frim the original negative. George Platt Lynes...
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1990s American Modern George Platt Lynes Wall Decorations

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Other

George Platt Lynes Original B&W Photograph, Ruth Elizabeth Ford, Framed
By George Platt Lynes
Located in Palm Springs, CA
This silver gelatin photograph was printed in 1999 from the original negative by the Robert Miller Gallery in New York City with permission from the estate of the artist. George Platt Lynes...
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1990s American Modern George Platt Lynes Wall Decorations

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Other

George Platt Lynes Original B&W Photograph Portrait, Vogue Magazine
By George Platt Lynes
Located in Palm Springs, CA
This silver gelatin photograph was printed in New York City in the 1990s from the original negative. George Platt Lynes (1907 to 1955) was a legenda...
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1990s American Modern George Platt Lynes Wall Decorations

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Other

George Platt Lynes 1930s Photograph of Princess Natalie Paley
By George Platt Lynes
Located in New York, NY
This photograph by George Platt Lynes is unusual for having three exposures of the Russian princess Natalie Paley, the celebrated beauty, and the wife...
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1940s American Vintage George Platt Lynes Wall Decorations

George Platt Lynes Original B&W Photograph from Vogue Magazine
By George Platt Lynes
Located in Palm Springs, CA
This silver gelatin photograph was printed in New York City in the 1990s from the original negative. George Platt Lynes (1907 to 1955) was a legenda...
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1990s American Modern George Platt Lynes Wall Decorations

Materials

Other

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George Platt Lynes wall decorations for sale on 1stDibs.

George Platt Lynes wall decorations are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of other and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of George Platt Lynes wall decorations, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original wall decorations by George Platt Lynes were created in the modern style in united states during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider wall decorations by Steve Kaufman, Leonard Baskin, and Don Hong Oai. Prices for George Platt Lynes wall decorations can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $975 and can go as high as $5,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $1,700.

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