Male Bodies: A Photographic History of the Nude

Emmanuel Cooper has performed a significant service to photographers, artists, sociologists, and historians in creating this excellent folio of the history of photographing the male nude, from the mid 19th Century to the present. Not only does this fine book contain many superlative photographs of historical and esthetic significance, it also provides insights into the men and women who created or documented these images. Coupled with each of well over a hundred photographs are essays or commentaries about each photographer. The artists include Imogen Cunningham, Duane Michaels, Nan Golden, Edward Weston, Diane Arbus, Annie Liebowitz among many more and the information about the influence and photographic style of each contributor is enlightening. Whether the photographers were using the male figure as a construct of sculptural beauty or as audience-specific titillation is more of casual interest than documentary importance. What does come through clearly on repeated perusing of this volume is the altered view of the male physique from the beginning of photography to the present. Without preaching to the balcony Emmanuel Cooper merely lets the pictures and atmospheres speak for themselves. This is a very important and very beautiful collection of images, and more importantly these images are given respect and credence as the art form they truly are. Recommended. Grady Harp, March 05

Male Bodies is Emmanuel Cooper's photographic history of the male nude and holds almost 150 color photos and a documentation of over a century of male nude works by such masters as Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, Andy Warhol and more. Much more than just a coffee table collection of images, each full-page set of nudes is accompanied by a biographical sketch of the artist involved, and the history and relevance of his/her work to the evolution of modern male nude representation. The chronological arrangement of Male Bodies makes for an outstanding selection.