$ 150
Order from the powerHouse Shop
by Bruce Bellas
Text by Vince Aletti
Gay Studies / Photography / Beefcake—Double Dollop!
Special Edition Slipcased Hardcover
11.5 x 11.6 inches
232 pages
107 four-color photographs
ISBN: 978-1-57687-469-1
by Bruce Bellas
Text by Vince Aletti
Gay Studies / Photography / Beefcake—Double Dollop!
Special Edition Slipcased Hardcover
11.5 x 11.6 inches
232 pages
107 four-color photographs
ISBN: 978-1-57687-469-1
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.
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.
