Naked Men, Too: Liberating the Male Nude, 1950-2000

by David Leddick

A remarkable sequel to the Lambda award-winning Naked Pioneering Male Nudes 1900-1950, Naked Men, Too , exposes the breakthrough nude male photography and art that changed the perception of male beauty. Focusing on the work of influential photographers such as George Platt Lynes, Robert Mapplethorpe, Harriet Leibowitz, and Bruce Weber, author David Leddick chronicles the visual revolution that paralleled social and sexual liberation since the late 1950's. With brief biographies of the models, including early renegades like Yves St. Laurent, Joe Dallesandro, Rupert Everett and more-this provocative book features reproductions of the original photos alongside portraits of the models today. This dynamic history of male nudity in art and advertising is for all audiences, gay and straight.

Genres: Nonfiction, Photography

144 pages, Hardcover

First published June 17, 2000

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Ryan Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naked Men Too is a carefully curated, visceral, and captivating exploration of masculinity laid bare—artistically, erotically, and culturally. Artists featured include the expected—Herb Ritts, Greg Gorman, Pierre and Gilles, Jim French (aka Rip Colt), Tom Bianchi—along with dozens of lesser-known but equally talented artists and photographers.

But let’s be clear: this is a narrow vision, rooted firmly in hyper-masculine ideals. Every model featured has a muscular, bodybuilder, or conventionally athletic build. There are no bears and no twinks, and no bodies that challenge conventional standards of fitness or physicality, such as men with visible disabilities.

Unsurprisingly, Leddick features Hollywood actors—such as a 54-year-old Burt Lancaster and the super-hot Maxwell Caulfield—the expected porn actors, including Aiden Shaw and Ryan Idol, and quirky celebrities, like pioneering fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. But what I find particularly intriguing is the inclusion of everyday, non-professional men dipping their toes into the world of modelling. Interspersed among recognizable figures are men with no public or “celebrity” careers—students, corporate workers, artists, to name a few—who stepped in front of the camera briefly and then disappeared from public view. Their presence grounds the book, reminding readers that the history of the male nude is shaped not only by iconic figures but also by ordinary men, willing, even eager, to be seen nude or semi-nude, captured in a kind of immortality through art and photography.
Read my full review on my BLOG at www.ryanlawrenceauthor.ca

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was putting books away at the book store and ended up taking this book away from a girl that couldnt have been older than 12yrs old..lol.. I told her she shouldnt be looking at it and she blushed and ran away..lol.. but then again... curiosity killed the cat, and I ended up standing there for 15minutes looking at this book and then took it on break with me..lol.. I know, I know.. but I am a hell lot older than 12 so I figured it was ok..lol