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 a profound reinterpretation of this genre, which for centuries remained in the background or was only accessible clandestinely, featuring images that oscillate between the artistic and the 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. Early images include the iconic homoerotic photographs of Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden, who captured male youth in Taormina with a classical sensibility that redefined the aesthetics of his time.

The book also explores the golden age of publications like Physique Pictorial , which not only functioned as bodybuilding magazines in the 1950s but also became visual emblems of emerging gay culture, bridging the gap between male sensuality and queer visibility.

Throughout its pages, The Male Nude features 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 of the male body as an object of art and desire. Also explored are the virile pin-ups from underground magazines that challenged conventional gender and aesthetic norms, generating a diverse and complex visual narrative.

Book details:

• Author: David Leddick
• Publisher: Taschen
• Collection: Bibliotheca Universalis
• Language: English, Deutsch, Français
• Hardcover: 573 pages
• Dimensions: 15 x 20 cm
• ISBN: 978-3-8365-5801-3
• EAN: 9783836558013