THE COMPLETE REPRINT OF PHYSIQUE PICTORIAL (THREE VOLUME SET) by Mizer, Bob and others - 1997

Koln, Germany: Benedikt Taschen Verlag, 1997. Hardcover. Near Fine / Near Fine (slipcase). Three volume set: Volume I 1951-60, Volume II 1960-1967, Volume III 1968-1990. Pink pictorial paper covers. In original pink cardboard slipcase, which is decorated with images from the publication. Launched by photographer Bob Mizer in 1951, Mizer used the magazine Physique Pictorial as way to promote other artists and photographers such as Tom of Finland, Bruce of LA and Lon of New York. In return, Physique Pictorial has been a source of inspiration for such diverse artists as David Hockney and Robert Mapplethorpe. During its run from 1951 to 1990 as a quarterly publication, it exemplified the use of bodybuilding culture and classical art figure posing, as a cover for homoerotic male images, and to evade charges of obscenity. The pages of Physique Pictorial primarily featured the photography of Bob Mizer, who also served as the magazine's publisher and editor, consisting of black and white photos of athletic young men, either nude or nearly so.