Bruce Bellas (Bruce of Los Angeles) American 1909-1974
Model & Cactus, c.1950

£750

Silver bromide print
Studio stamp (verso)
25cm x 20cm (50cm x 40cm in mount), unframed

Bellas initially worked as a chemistry teacher until 1947, when he began photographing bodybuilders in Los Angeles, starting by taking pictures of bodybuilding competitions. In 1956, Bellas launched his own magazine, The Male Figure. Among physique photographers, Bellas' work was noted for having a slightly tongue-in-cheek sensibility. Bellas would travel around the country, finding new models to photograph and also personally delivering nude photographs to customers, since they were liable to be seized by postal inspectors if sent through the mail. An extensive archive of Bellas' nude male physique photographs exists today, largely intact. His impact on physique photography is recognized, and the works of Robert Mapplethorpe, Herb Ritts, and Bruce Weber are widely considered to be influenced by Bellas' pioneering style