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Bruce of LA Original 1950s Male Physique Photo Model Barry Adkins

About the Item

From a important 25 plus years collection of Male Physique and Beefcake Photography, Image # 8 of male model Barry Adkins. Printed in the 1960s and are all signed by the studio when Mr. Bruce Bellas aka Bruce of LA was alive. Beautifully, professionally framed. Double white mat and simple black frame. All orig photos are 8 x 10. Framed: 16.50" W x 19" H. Other images from this L.A gallery show on separate listings... please check often while we list more every week. These photographs are very hard to shoot under glass. They are sharp, clear photographs printed the old fashioned way, by hand in the late 50s and early 60s. BIO: Bruce Harry Bellas (July 7, 1909 – July 1974) was an American photographer. He was influential in his work with male physiques and nudes. Bellas was well known under the pseudonym Bruce of Los Angeles. History and influence: Bruce Harry Bellas was born in Alliance, Nebraska on July 7, 1909. He worked as a chemistry teacher there until 1947, when he began photographing bodybuilders in Los Angeles, California, beginning with taking pictures of bodybuilding competitions. In 1956, Bellas launched his own magazine, The Male Figure. Among physique photographers, Bellas' work was noted for having a distinctly campy, tongue-in-cheek sensibility. Bellas also produced a number of early homoerotic 8 mm films with titles such as Cowboy Washup and Big Gun for Hire. Bellas was known to travel around the country, finding new models to photograph and also personally delivering nude photographs to customers, since they were liable to be seized by postal inspectors if sent through the mail. An extensive archive of Bellas' nude male physique photographs exists today, largely intact. His impact on physique photography is largely felt and recognized, and the works of Robert Mapplethorpe, Herb Ritts, and Bruce Weber are widely considered to be influenced by Bellas' pioneering style.[4] In 1990, the Wessel O'Connor Gallery in New York and the Jan Kesner Gallery in Los Angeles both exhibited a wide array of Bellas' work, furthering modern recognition of his impact. Bellas died while on vacation in Canada in July 1974. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) on August 9. Bellas was in a long-term relationship with favorite model Scotty Cunningham, to whom he left his estate. Bruce Bellas, better known as Bruce of Los Angeles, was one of the most noted of what is described as the “Beefcake” photographers and directors. From the 1940s to his death in 1974 at age 65 Bellas photographed—mostly in posing straps with beach balls, globes, and other colorful props—numerous bodybuilders and models from Steve Reeves, Bob McCune, and George Eiferman to stars Joe Dallesandro, Mark Nixon, and Brian Idol.
  • Creator:
    Bruce Bellas (Artist),Bruce of Los Angeles (Artist)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 19 in (48.26 cm)Width: 16.5 in (41.91 cm)Depth: 1.25 in (3.18 cm)
  • Style:
    Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Other,Hand-Crafted
  • Place of Origin:
    United States
  • Period:
    1950-1959
  • Date of Manufacture:
    Late 1950s-Early 1960s
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. These are hand printed original photographs from the orginal negatives from the Bruce of LA Studios in the 1950s-1960s. They are not copies.
  • Seller Location:
    Palm Springs, CA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 06231081stDibs: LU1767221830082