Bruce Bellas
{{Short description|American photographer (1909–1974)}}
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.{{cite news |last=Gonzo |first=JC |url= https://www.sfreporter.com/arts/2020/01/22/the-fine-art-of-early-gay-erotica/ |title=The Fine Art of Early Gay Erotica |work=Santa Fe Reporter |date=January 21, 2020 |access-date=January 3, 2021}}
History and influence
Bruce Harry Bellas was born in Alliance, Nebraska on July 7, 1909.{{cite book |title=Who's Who in Contemporary Gay and Lesbian History: From World War II to the Present Day |date=24 July 2020 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781000150285 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T_3vDwAAQBAJ&dq=bruce+harry+bellas+1909&pg=PT80 |access-date=6 March 2023}}{{cite web |title=Bruce Harry Bellas |url=https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/16885950:2238?tid=&pid=&queryId=230c8c25b9993843bd244df164649bd6&_phsrc=Dqh5465&_phstart=successSource |publisher=U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947 |access-date=6 March 2023}} He worked as a chemistry teacher there until 1947,{{cite news |last=Rosen |first=Miss |url= https://www.anothermanmag.com/life-culture/10983/bruce-of-los-angeles-bruce-bellas-the-man-who-pioneered-beefcake-photography |title=Bruce of Los Angeles, the Man Who Pioneered Beefcake Photography |work=Another Man |date=October 17, 2019 |access-date=January 3, 2021}} 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. Bellas also produced a number of early homoerotic 8 mm films with titles such as Cowboy Washup and Big Gun for Hire.
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.
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. 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.{{cite news |last=Harrity |first=Christopher |url= https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/art/2013/06/29/inventing-california-boy?pg=7&fb_comment_id=646430608718649_114740332 |title=Inventing the California Boy |work=The Advocate |date=June 29, 2013 |access-date=January 3, 2021}}
Bellas died while on vacation in Canada in July 1974.{{cite web|url=https://gayletter.com/bruce-of-los-angeles-greeting-cards/|title=Bruce Of Los Angeles' Greeting Cards|date=30 March 2021 |access-date=11 August 2021}}{{cite web |title=Bruce Bellas |url=https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/4035261:3693?tid=&pid=&queryId=230c8c25b9993843bd244df164649bd6&_phsrc=Dqh5466&_phstart=successSource |publisher=U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935–2014 |access-date=6 March 2023}} He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills on August 9.{{cite news |title=Obituaries-Funerals |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120297386/obituaries-funerals/ |access-date=6 March 2023 |publisher=Press-Telegram |date=8 August 1974}} Bellas was in a long-term relationship with favorite model Scotty Cunningham, to whom he left his estate.
References
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External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20081002063359/http://bruce-tribute.com/brucebio.html Bruce Bellas Biography]
- [http://www.bigkugels.com/content/Bruce.html Bruce Bellas Photography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060507023022/http://www.bigkugels.com/content/Bruce.html |date=2006-05-07 }}
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Category:20th-century American photographers
Category:People from Alliance, Nebraska
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