George platt lynes, who inspired robert mapplethorpe, hid the male nudes But before he died, he sold them to alfred kinsey George platt lynes was the preeminent celebrity portraitist of his day, shooting for vogue and harper's bazaar and creating distinctive photographs of iconic cultural figures such as diana vreeland, salvador dalí, and orson welles But he also produced a separate body of work, kept largely hidden during his lifetime Lynes worked as a fashion photographer in his own studio in new york (which he opened in 1932) before moving to hollywood in 1946 where he took the post of chief photographer for the vogue studios. Highly successful as a commercial photographer whose images filled the pages of vogue, harper's bazaar, and other fashion magazines, george platt lynes also produced a private, voluminous body of homoerotic male nudes beginning about 1930—a taboo subject in a conservative time
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or. 27 years after his death, photographer george platt lynes' male nudes were published in an august 1982 issue of in touch magazine, introducing his work to a whole new generation of gay men. Lynes' favorite explorations focused on the human figure in the form of male nudes and the principal dancers of the new york city ballet Choreographer george balanchine spoke highly of lynes' work His photographs have several lives of their own Despite the taboo nature of his work, george platt lynes' photographs have become a valuable historical record of a time when male nudes were strictly taboo
George platt lynes was an american fashion photographer Born in east orange, nj on. George platt lynes is recognized today as a master of 20th century photography, influencing artists such as robert mapplethorpe and herb ritts Though lynes was commercially successful in new york fashion and portrait photography, his art practice is largely characterized today by his remarkable photographs of nude men, from the 1930s until his death in 1955
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