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Bruce of Los Angeles Rare Male Duo Studio Stamped Orig B&W 1950s Photograph
$720
$90020% Off
£550.48
£688.1020% Off
€634.04
€792.5520% Off
CA$1,008.94
CA$1,261.1820% Off
A$1,126.39
A$1,407.9820% Off
CHF 590.21
CHF 737.7620% Off
MX$13,788.09
MX$17,235.1120% Off
NOK 7,495.67
NOK 9,369.5920% Off
SEK 7,067.47
SEK 8,834.3420% Off
DKK 4,731.90
DKK 5,914.8820% Off
About the Item
Another original RARE studio stamped 8 x 10 black-and-white photograph by world, renowned photographer, Bruce Bellas AKA Bruce of L.A. we have sold many on 1st Dibs from our personal collection of 40+ years. Please note this is not a copy. It was printed while Mr. Bellis was alive from the original negative. This image is a rare duo photograph of 2 male models he used to pair that had chemistry and a connection. Most were photographed in the desert of Palm Springs. This original even has the Model’s names Mario Caselli and Bill Smithers on the back and RARE studio stamp, “Bruce of Los Angeles, Box 9305, Station S, Los Angeles 5, California. This well known series was shot in the Palm Springs are in the 1950s when it was illegal to shoot nude outdoors. The 8 x 10 photograph is matted in a high quality 16” x 20” white matt and comes with a simple black framed. It can be shipped UPS without glass. Please see our other listings for more Bruce photos and many other Male Physique photos. All are original.
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. 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 in the Hollywood Hills on August 9. Bellas was in a long-term relationship with favorite model Scotty Cunningham, to whom he left his estate.
- Creator:Bruce Bellas (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 16 in (40.64 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)Depth: 0.5 in (1.27 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Palm Springs, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: 3222421stDibs: LU1767238974542
About the Seller
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View AllVintage 1950s Original Male Physique Photograph by Bruce of Los Angeles
By Bruce Bellas
Located in Palm Springs, CA
An original iconic male physique photograph by legendary photographer Bruce Bellas aka Bruce of Los Angeles. Our collection (soon to be available on separate listings are all original (not copied from negative). This iconic image with a beach ball was one of the props that became synonymous with a Bruce Bellas photograph. Printed in the 1950s, the stamped images were printed when he was alive. They are the rare, sought after photographs prized by collectors of the genre. 8x 10 photograph, white matt, beautifully framed in classic black.
Bio:
An icon of gay art and one of the most famous names in physique photography, Bruce Bellas is remembered today as a pioneer of beefcake. Beginning in the 1940s and continuing until his death in 1974, Bellas photographed some of the most important figures in the world of physical culture; bodybuilders Steve Reeves, Bob McCune, and George Eiferman, and models Joe Dallesandro, Mark Nixon, and Brian Idol...
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