As images of men's bodies have proliferated in pop culture and advertising during the past decade, many artists and photographers have taken up the male nude as a primary subject. Recent work has sparked controversy as well as praise for its shocking frankness, and the line between art and pornography has become increasingly difficult to define. New digital technologies have brought about new ways of representing the body, and we are now faced with a multiplicity of eroticisms, previously unexplored channels of desire, and more inclusive and varied body ideals.
Male Nudes Now offers an essential guide through this new territory with more than 240 fresh and provocative images. Featuring contemporary work, mostly unpublished, this important sourcebook showcases a dynamic mix of visionaries, from established masters to breakthrough newcomers.
Feature Artists Include
Lyle Ashton Harris Marc Baptiste Clive Barker Cecily Brown Chuck Close John Dugdale Todd Eberle Eric Fischl Nan Goldin Greg Gorman David Hockney Patrick McMullan Duane Michals Pierre et Gilles Jack Pierson Rankin Terry Richardson Michael Roberts Stewart Shining Wolfgang Tillmans George Tooker Ellen von Unwerth
David Leddick is the author of several novels as well as several highly-regarded art photography books. His novels include "My Worst Date," "Never Eat In," "The Sex Squad," "The Handsomest Man in the World," and his art compilations include "The Male Nude", "Secrets of the Chorus" which was mounted in a concert production in 2003 and is at work on two other musicals. Leddick was formerly worldwide creative director for L'Oreal and Revlon. He divides his time among homes in Miami Beach, Paris and Montevideo.
I rarely enjoy male erotica, but this book is different. More like a study of artists and photographers whose subject is the male body. I especially like it for its depictions of non-traditional physiques that one usually doesn't see in the glossy, manscaped, airbrushed world of erotica. A definite favorite.