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Bruce Bellas

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Bruce Harry Bellas (July 7, 1909 – July 1974) was an American photographer. He was influential in his work with male physiques and nudes. Bellas was well known under the pseudonym Bruce of Los Angeles.[1]

History and influence

Bruce Harry Bellas was born in Alliance, Nebraska on July 7, 1909.[2][3] He worked as a chemistry teacher there until 1947,[4] when he began photographing bodybuilders in Los Angeles, California, beginning with 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 distinctly campy, tongue-in-cheek sensibility.[4] Bellas also produced a number of early homoerotic 8 mm films with titles such as Cowboy Washup and Big Gun for Hire.[5]

Bellas was known to 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.[5]

An extensive archive of Bellas' nude male physique photographs exists today, largely intact. His impact on physique photography is largely felt and recognized, and the works of Robert Mapplethorpe, Herb Ritts, and Bruce Weber are widely considered to be influenced by Bellas' pioneering style.[4] In 1990, the Wessel O'Connor Gallery in New York and the Jan Kesner Gallery in Los Angeles both exhibited a wide array of Bellas' work, furthering modern recognition of his impact.[6]

Bellas died while on vacation in Canada in July 1974.[7][8] He was buried at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) |Forest Lawn Memorial Park]] in the Hollywood Hills on August 9.[9] Bellas was in a long-term relationship with favorite model Scotty Cunningham,[10] to whom he left his estate.[11]

References

  1. ^ Gonzo, JC (January 21, 2020). "The Fine Art of Early Gay Erotica". Santa Fe Reporter. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  2. ^ Who's Who in Contemporary Gay and Lesbian History: From World War II to the Present Day. Taylor & Francis. 24 July 2020. ISBN 9781000150285. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Bruce Harry Bellas". U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Rosen, Miss (October 17, 2019). "Bruce of Los Angeles, the Man Who Pioneered Beefcake Photography". Another Man. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Waugh, Thomas (2013). "Bruce of Los Angeles". In George Haggerty (ed.). Encyclopedia of Gay Histories and Cultures. Routledge. ISBN 9781135585068.
  6. ^ Harrity, Christopher (June 29, 2013). "Inventing the California Boy". The Advocate. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  7. ^ "BRUCE OF LOS ANGELES' GREETING CARDS". 30 March 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Bruce Bellas". U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935–2014. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  9. ^ "Obituaries-Funerals". Press-Telegram. 8 August 1974. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  10. ^ Waugh, Thomas (1996). Hard to Imagine: Gay Male Eroticism in Photography and Film from Their Beginnings to Stonewall. Columbia University Press. pp. 231–232. ISBN 0-231-09998-3.
  11. ^ Blanks, Tim (5 December 2017). "THE BAND OF BROTHERS WHO RISKED IT ALL FOR MALE EROTICA". Another Man.


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