From June 25 to July 6, the JW Anderson store in Soho will host “Spartacus”, an exhibition dedicated to the representation of the male physique and to the pioneering role of homoerotic imagery in twentieth-century visual culture. The exhibition brings together 40 works once part of the private collection of Bob Mizer, a central figure in the dissemination of a new aesthetic of the male body through the historic publication Pictorial Physique.
Created in a context marked by strict moral and legal restrictions, the images were presented as body-building material, a necessary strategy to circumvent the obscenity laws of the time. In reality, Pictorial Physique became one of the first American magazines aimed at a gay male audience, offering, throughout the 1950s and 1960s, a rare space for the representation of desire between men.
Alongside Mizer’s work, the publication featured contributions by artists such as Tom of Finland, George Quaintance and Dom Orejudos, helping to define a visual language that would go on to deeply influence contemporary art. Its imagery entered the cultural conversation that would later involve artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe and David Hockney.
The name “Spartacus” was the pseudonym used by the artist, whose identity still remains unknown today. Like many creators working in this field, he chose an alias to protect himself from potential legal consequences and social stigma, at a time when such representations were considered prohibited material.
The exhibition, staged at JW ANDERSON Soho, now brings visibility back to a body of work born on the margins of official culture, yet capable of anticipating themes, aesthetics and sensibilities that remain central to contemporary debates around identity, desire and the representation of the body.
Venue: JW ANDERSON Soho, 2 Brewer Street, London W1F 0SA
Dates: June 25 – July 6
Opening hours: Monday–Saturday 11:00–19:00; Sunday 12:00–18:00
CREDITS FORMAT: Sketch X of Spartacus. Pencil on Paper. Circa 1950 – 1969. £3,385
