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Bruce of Los Angeles Vintage Original Male Physique Photograph of Carl Venus
About the Item
From an important 25 plus year collection of male physique and beefcake, printed in the 1960s, signed by the studio when Mr. Bruce Bellas aka Bruce of LA was alive. This image is of very handsome and Bruce favorite, Carl Venus. Beautifully, professionally framed and matted with simple black frame. Original photos are 8 x 10. Framed: 16” x 20”. Please see other listings for more photographs from this collection available for sale for the 1st time. These ;listing 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 of Los Angeles (Artist),Bruce Bellas (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Width: 16 in (40.64 cm)Depth: 1.25 in (3.18 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Other,Other
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Late 1950s-Early 1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. These are Original photographs from the Bruce of LA Studios. not copies.
- Seller Location:Palm Springs, CA
- Reference Number:
About the Seller
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- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Palm Springs, CA
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