While the female nude has been a predominant symbol in Western imagery, the male nude has followed a less exposed and often underestimated path. The Male Nude offers a thorough review of this genre, which for centuries remained in the background or only accessible clandestinely, housing images that range from the artistic to the provocative.
From the anonymous and almost forbidden eroticism of the nineteenth century to the provocative works of photographers from the second half of the twentieth century, this collection not only documents but also celebrates the male nude in all its facets. The earliest images include the iconic homoerotic photographs of Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden, who captured male youth in Taormina with a classical sensitivity that redefined the aesthetics of his time.
The book also covers the golden age of publications such as Physique Pictorial, which not only served as bodybuilding magazines in the 1950s but also became visual emblems of the emerging gay culture, establishing a bridge between male sensuality and queer visibility.
Through its pages, The Male Nude includes masters of the nude such as Herbert List, with his poetic gaze; George Platt Lynes, who fused surrealism and sensuality; and Robert Mapplethorpe, whose work sparked controversy and cultural debate, broadening the discussion about the male body as an object of art and desire. It also explores the virile pin-ups of underground magazines that challenged conventional norms of gender and aesthetics, creating a diverse and complex visual narrative.
