While the female nude has been a predominant symbol in Western iconography, the male nude has followed a less exposed and often underestimated trajectory. The Male Nude offers an in-depth review of this genre, which for centuries remained in the background or only accessible clandestinely, housing images that range from artistic to provocative.

From the anonymous and almost forbidden eroticism of the 19th century to the provocative works of photographers from the second half of the 20th century, this collection not only documents but 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 like Physique Pictorial, which not only functioned 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, expanding 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, generating a diverse and complex visual narrative.