Bruce Bellas Editor (2 results)

Softcover. Condition: Fine in color pictorial wraps. 8vo., 54 pp. including color covers. With black and white and color photos throughout. Bellas began photographing bodybuilders in Los Angeles in the late 1940s, ,taking pictures of bodybuilding competitions. In 1956, 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 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.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Near Fine hardcover in a Near Fine dust jacket. First Edition, First Printing. Overall a bright and attractive copy. No major signs of wear or aging. B&W plates throughout. Adults only. 128 pp.