Exposed: A Celebration of the Male Nude from 90 of the World's Greatest Photographers

Rating:
Summary: INTERESTING VARIETY OF WORK FOUND HERE
Review: I am quite pleased with the wide range of photographic styles represented here. Although I found there to be a bit too much of the overdone and hence worn out "typical" homoerotic imagery, there were some stand out images by the likes of LAWRENCE GRECCO, NICK KNIGHT and TERRY RICHARDSON. Those three were among the most innovative and interesting artists included in this anthology. Definitely worth buying.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Overview...
Review: I thought this new book of male nude photography featuring 90 of the best photographers of today and the past was a good overview of the history of male nude photography. It offers a biography of each photographer and an analysis of each photograph which I thought was very helpful. There were many photographer's I had no knowledge of before. It's sort of a reference book you can turn to and find out about your favorite photographer, and learn a little bit about his or her work and career. Men and women are both represented in this book, which is unusual in male nude photography books, usually only men are represented. If I had one problem with this book it's the fact that only one photograph for each photographer is shown. I wish there had been at least two examples or more. However, I think the book would have been too big, if more than one image was presented and in addition 90 photographer's is a large number to showcase in one volume. Maybe a Volume 1 & Volume II would have helped.

Philip Braham did a great job in putting together this very informative book, and I enjoyed it. It's certainly a good source of information on male nude photography to have in your collection, and to display on that coffee-table.

Rating:
Summary: Most images are disgustiing trash.
Review: Out of 90 images only 35 (5 are very good, other 30 so so)are acceptible for me. The remaining 55 are disgusting.
I respect those fetish. But I don't want to *see* them pissing on bed. Inside the book there even is a pic of an old man (the pic only took his head and breast) standing like a wood staring. It's meaningless and it' so annoying. I can only say that the editor want to prove he is tasteful and thoughtful by choosing so manny (*2/3*) disgusting/ugly photos here. However, it's not my taste and I hate those "thoughtful" critics--those parasites.

Rating:
Summary: fantastic
Review: Thank you Phil Braham. Quite possibly the best review of male nude photography/artists in years. Names like Man Ray, Wilhelm Von Gloeden, Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Robert Mapplethorpe and Drew Wojcik speek for it self. The best reference book of top photographers exploring the subject of male nude.

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly inspiring...
Review: the book is a compilation of images that will trigger your thought process to continue or conclude the story the photographer started. I'm afraid the story does not end after staring at the images. The images challenges you to visualize my own version of the photograph in our current space and time. Nicely executed and a variety of collectibles in one packed book...

Rating:
Summary: An Ambitious But Flawed Endeavor
Review: There are some incredibly fine works included in this book by very important artists who have photographed the nude male: for example, Imogene Cunningham, David Hockney, Robert Mapplethorpe, Eadweard Muybridge, Jan Saudek, Arthur Tress, Horst P. Horst, Herbert List, George Hoyningen-Huene, Wilhelm Von Gloeden and Man Ray. (I suppose we should add Andy Warhol to the list although I believe his greatest talent was his indefatigable self-promotion.) There are also photos here by Harriet Leibowitz, Roy Blakey and Tom Bianchi. My three favorites are by Henning Von Berg from his series "Factory Boyz", the beautifully lit photograph of Robert Blanchon by George Mott, and Greg Friedler's "Untitled." But where is the fine work by Bruce Weber, Herb Ritts, Greg Gorman, George Dureau,Thomas Eakins, John Dugdale, Jock Sturgis and Helmut Newton? Yes, both Newton and Sturgis did photograph nude males occasionally; I have seen them. Since this book is called "a celebration of the male nude from 90 of the world's greatest photograhers," certainly the inclusion of any or all of these artists would have given more credibility to the editor's claim. Speaking of credibility, this collection would have more of that if both the editor and writer of the foreward had not been included in this collection. (Certainly the photographs of both Reed Massengill and Phil Braham are good ones-- I'd be happy to own either one of them. I just think this is more chutzpah than is necessary here.) Any collection of this sort that doesn't include a photograph by George Platt Lynes has lost its chance of coming close to being considered a definitive work. Finally, if "beefcake" photographers like Bruce of Los Angeles, Champion, Lon of New York and Bob Mizer are here, then why not include something by Kristen Bjorn? Nobody is better at beefcake than this gentleman.

The photographs of older men with less than perfect bodies add a nice dimension to this book as well as those that show a sense of humor on the part of the photographer. I refer here to "Shoe Ad 1" by Terry Richardson. The photographers are shown in alphabetical order. That seems as good a way to categorize them as any. The biographical sketches are informative. I'm not sure we need Mr. Braham's explanations of what we are seeing, however. There is truth in the old cliche that one picture is worth a thousand words.

Rating:
Summary: Good photo selection, extremely high quality
Review: This is a gorgeous book! Anyone who's not ashamed of the human body would be proud to have this one on their coffee table -- or in their local library.

Many serious books about the male nude reproduce the same old, same old, same old pictures that everyone else has printed. This book concentrates on "90 of the world's greatest photographers" and more than half of the time showcases a photo quite different from what we're used to from each of them.

Better yet, this is not just a "pretty-boy" book. There are, of course, plenty of tight bods and young faces. But a much wider selection of male subjects is presented -- a couple of them might even be called "trolls" -- ouch! However, this variety challenges our culture's commercial sale of male beauty and underscores the fact that this is a serious artistic book with no inhibitions -- not just an attempt to present centerfolds as art. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!)

Each photographer receives basically the same exposure: A page on the left summarizing his or her work and career, and a page on the right showcasing one photo. (That's right -- with few exceptions, everyone gets just ONE image! And both men and women photographers are represented in abundance.) Editor Philip Braham deftly adds a brief artistic analysis of each photo.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent addition to any coffee-table or bookshelf.
Review: This sumptuously produced volume exudes quality from the thickness of the dust-jacket, to the high-gloss paper used throughout and of course to the selection of the images used.
The author has put together a selection of photographs, one from each photographer, representing a century of differing styles used to present the male form in photographs. There are some sublimely beautiful images to be seen in this collection, many not seen in books before.

Each plate is accompanied by some details of the photographer, the model and the meaning of each portrayal. In the index at the rear, each photographer is catalogued, and there is a contact e-mail or web address as appropriate. This clearly gives the reader the opportunity to follow-up any artists of particular interest.

A brilliant book to occupy a place of merit on anyone's coffee-table. Be warned, this book is available with a different title in the UK where it is called "Naked Male"