| Bob Mizer | |
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Bob Mizer at 20 years old by Bob Mizer Foundation. |
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| Birth name | Robert Henry Mizer. |
| Nationality | American |
| Field | Photography |
| Website | http://www.BobMizerFoundation.org |
Robert Henry Mizer (March 27, 1922 - May 12, 1992), known as Bob Mizer, was an American photographer and filmmaker who was known for pushing societal boundaries in his work. Bob Mizer’s' earliest photographs appeared in 1942, in both color and black and white, but his career was catapulted into infamy in 1947 when he was convicted of the unlawful distribution of obscene material through the US mail. The material in question was a series of black and white photographs, taken by Mizer, of young bodybuilders wearing what were known as posing straps — a precursor to the G-string. He would serve a nine-month prison sentence at a work camp in Saugus, California for what now seems tame. At the time, however, the mere suggestion of male nudity was not only frowned upon, but also illegal.
In spite of societal expectations and pressure from law enforcement, Mizer would go on to build a veritable empire on his beefcake photographs and films. He established the influential studio, the Athletic Model Guild (AMG) in 1945 with one or more heretofore unidentified partners, but by the time he published the first issue of Physique Pictorial he was operating the studio on his own. With assistance from his mother, Delia, and his brother, Joe, he would go on to photograph thousands of men, building a collection that includes nearly one million different images and thousands of films and videotapes. [1]
Despite all of the trouble that he faced, Mizer continued on in the pursuit of his vision, influencing artists as varied as Robert Mapplethorpe, David Hockney, and Gore Vidal. Examples of his work are now held by esteemed educational and cultural institutions the world over, and can be found in various books, galleries, and private art collections.
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Bob Mizer produced over 3000 film titles from the early 1950s to the early 1980s. In August 1980, he began using the then-new technology of videotape, and recorded over 7500 hours of his photo sessions until his death in 1992. Selected Filmography
As of 19 November 2011, this article is derived in whole or in part from Bob Mizer Foundation. The copyright holder has licensed the content utilized under CC-By-SA and GFDL. All relevant terms must be followed. The original text was at "Biography".