BRUCE OF LOS ANGELES: INSIDE/OUTSIDE - Scarce Fine Copy of The Limited Slipcased Edition

Bruce of Los Angeles (A. K. A. Bruce of LA); Aletti, Vince (Contributor); Dallesandro, Joe & Others

ISBN 10: 1576874699 / ISBN 13: 9781576874691

Published by New York City, NY: Antinous Press, 2008

1st Printing. 232 pages. Published in 2008. Retrospective collection of male nudes. One of the most beautiful books on the photographic art and achievement of Bruce of Los Angeles. Limited Slipcased Edition of 2500 copies. The first and only edition. An elegant and sumptuous production by Samuel Nicholas: Oversize-volume format. Tan hard boards with photographic reproduction on the cover and titles on the spine, as issued. Photographs by Bruce of Los Angeles. Essay by Vince Aletti, the eminent photography critic of the New Yorker Magazine. DVD Collection of 12 digitally restored films by Bruce attached on the Inside Back Cover. Matching tan slipcase with black titles printed on both sides. Printed on pristine-white, thick coated stock paper by Graphicom in Vicenza, Italy to the highest standards. The reproduction quality is outstanding in every respect. Without DJ, as issued. Presents, n a handsome collectible format, "Bruce of Los Angeles: Inside/Outside". Some of the legendary photographer's legendary male nudes. The images are reproduced in all their neon-light, bright colors on the right-hand side, in two parts: "Inside" (Bruce's LA studio) and "Outside" (Nature settings). The running motif is Bruce's fascination and obsession with the eroticism of the American "Cowboys And Indians" frontier-myth. Except for what appears to be exactly the same red string bikini, the models are nude, bedecked in hats, Indian feathers, bows, arrows, guns, knives, and other costumes and props identified with the American West. Bruce was careful, however, to make sure that they did not get in the way of the full-frontal nudity. His models' poses consciously evoke the Classical past, and in this sense, he reminds one of von Gloeden, whose pastiche art was once described by Roland Barthes as a "carnival of contradictions", just as Bruce's surely was, too. Bruce had The Eye: He discovered Joe Dallesandro, his single most famous model and Andy Warhol's superstar/muse, among so many others. His residual influence is unmistakable to this day: The All-American boy/man good looks have attained universal status as the symbol of masculine beauty and desirability, belying the "diversity" people celebrate when they talk of the 21st century. Even a radical voice such as Dennis Cooper grudgingly acknowledges this fact: "Bruce's influence on everyone from Robert Mapplethorpe, Herb Ritts, and Bruce Weber to Cindy Sherman and Laurie Simmons reveals the artist's manipulations in order to circumvent the suspicious and censorious of his time" (Dennis Cooper). An absolute "must-have" title for Bruce of LA collectors. This copy is one of the Limited Slipcased Edition of 2500 copies, indicated as such on the Copyright Page. This title is a great erotic art photography book. This is one of few copies of the Limited Edition still available online and despite its imperfection (a bump on the slipcase, NOT affecting the book itself, but it's there) is still in fine condition overall: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Copies available online have very serious flaws. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A scarce copy thus. 100 color plates. One of the mos brilliant photographers of the male nude of the 20th century. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER BRUCE OF LOS ANGELES AND JOE DALLESANDRO TITLES IN OUR CATALOG) ISBN 1576874699. Seller Inventory # 23147

Synopsis:

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 are just a few of the countless strapping males captured by Bellas' lens. The man who came to be known as Bruce of Los Angeles crafted a refined, masterful aesthetic of erotica, whose influence would later surface in the work of Robert Mapplethorpe, Herb Ritts, Bruce Weber, and many others.

Collected in Bruce of Los Angeles: Inside/Outside are Bellas' rare photographs and films, as they have never been seen before. The two sections, "Inside" and "Outside", comprise over 100 full-color images, all masterfully restored from the original color negatives. This limited-edition set is contained in a unique slipcase, and includes a DVD of 12 digitally remastered films.

About the Author: Bruce Bellas (1909-1974) was born in Alliance, Nebraska and was a chemistry teacher before taking up photography. He set out on road trips through America's heartland, photographing farmhands, athletes, soldiers, and sailors along the way, and eventually made his way to California, where he began shooting bodybuilding contests all along the coast. As his career blossomed, he branched out into color work, 8mm films, and 3-D slides, and by the 1960s had succeeded in publishing his own magazine, The Male Figure. He died in 1974, leaving behind one of the most comprehensive photo archives of the time. Vince Aletti reviews photography exhibitions for The New Yorker's "Goings On About Town" section and writes a regular column about photo books for Photograph, as well as occasional features for publications including Aperture, Art + Auction, and others. He was the art editor of the Village Voice from 1994 to 2005, and the paper's photo critic for 20 years. He is the winner of the International Center of Photography's 2005 Infinity Award in writing. He has written essays for a number of art books, and has curated and co-curated shows at major galleries in New York and abroad. Aletti is currently at work on Male, a book of photographs from his collection.

Bibliographic Details

Title: BRUCE OF LOS ANGELES: INSIDE/OUTSIDE - ...
Publisher: New York City, NY: Antinous Press
Publication Date: 2008
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Fine
Edition: 1st Edition