Ignoring the long-held taboo and belief, that such a “shocking” subject was unworthy of serious photography, Roy Blakey began photographing naked men in his New York City studio in the late 1960s, and inadvertently became a pioneer.

Blakey’s unique vision was to eliminate all props and backgrounds, and simply focus on the naked male body, enhanced only by his masterful lighting technique.

In 1972 Blakey released his first book; a self-published, slender, slipcase book simply titled “He.” Blakey’s monograph with its unabashed presentation of nude men was a bold first step, which pried open the door to greater acceptance, appreciation, and respect for male nudity in photography.

After the appearance of “He”, Blakey’s renowned works were exhibited at the legendary Continental Baths in New York City and were widely published internationally, including three special editions of Roy Blakey Nudes by “Masculin International” in France.

In 1998, five years after moving to Minneapolis to share a studio with his niece, photographer Keri Pickett, Roy received a fateful email from a stranger - the New York writer and well-known photographer of male nudes, Reed Massengill.

Massengill suggested that Blakey’s vintage male nudes be brought back for a new generation - that they should again be published and exhibited.

With photographer Reed Massengill’s encouragement and guidance, Blakey’s original, pioneering works from the 1960’s and 70’s were showcased in a highly successful gallery exhibition in New York City. And exactly 30 years after the publication of his first book “He,” Blakey’s second book, “Roy Blakey’s 70s Male Nudes”, was published in Europe by Goliath.

Roy Blakey’s original, black & white, silver-gelatin prints, hand printed and signed by the artist, are now available here.

PRINT GALLERY

Blakey’s male nude project continued throughout the 1970s. In the 1980s, Roy’s thriving business in New York photographing actors, dancers, and entertainers, plus countless magazine deadlines, left less and less time for his personal project. Eventually it ended - and the boxes of negatives and prints were stored away and left to languish for many years.