PHYSIQUE PICTORIAL VOLUME 44
In September last year, The Bob Mizer Foundation re-launched this flagship magazine, which was brought to life by male physique photographer Bob Mizer more than half a century ago.
Mizer founded Physique Pictorial in 1951 and it introduced the world to photographers such as Bruce Of Los Angeles, Lon Of London and Champion Studios, models such as John Apache, Jim Paris and Tico Patterson, and artists such as Tom Of Finland, Etienne and George Quaintance.
It eventually ceased publication in 1990 at the time of Mizer’s death. The new relaunched Physique Pictorial pays homage to male physique photographers both vintage and contemporary. For example, the latest issue features a 14-page vintage retrospective from the Mizer archives of 1950s bodybuilder and former Mr America, Richard DuBois. Prolific Taschen Books editor Dian Hanson contributes an essay on Old Reliable’s David Hurles, whose sneering, tattooed models are highlighted in a rambunctious photographic portfolio. And there is even a True Detective-like retrospective from Keith Foote on legendary Mizer model Leonard Chambers and his untimely death in 1956 by a California police officer’s gun.
This vintage work is complemented by portfolios from contemporary photographers Lucas Murnaghan (whose portraits of Matthew Mitcham feature in this issue of DNA), Ross Collab and Steven Menendez.
With the demise of so many publishers of erotic men’s books and magazines over the past decade, it is an exciting development to see one of the original pioneers re-emerge and with such a highquality publication that will thrill old fans and win many new ones. Volume 44 is the third issue to be published and Volumes 42 and 43 (from September and December 2017) are still available.
It’s exciting to see one of the original pioneers re-emerge and with such a high-quality publication…