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Early Bruce of Los Angeles Male Model Physique Orig B&W Photograph
About the Item
It is becoming very rare to find a desirable original Bruce of Los Angeles vintage photograph. Especially with the iconic black and white checkerboard floor, and an early “beefcake” photo with the young handsome model in a posing strap before it was legal to shoot male frontal nudes. This photo was printed in the 50s while Bruce was still alive and offered to customers by mail order. The iconic Bruce script font stamp on verso.
Nicely matted in acid free white Matt size 11x 14 ready for framing. The original photos are the standard 8 x 10 high gloss finish. We can ship these UPS without the glass.
BIO: Bruce of Los Angeles:
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 of Los Angeles (Artist),Bruce Bellas (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 14 in (35.56 cm)Width: 11 in (27.94 cm)Depth: 0.5 in (1.27 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Palm Springs, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: 524161stDibs: LU1767239913252
About the Seller
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