Bruce of Los Angeles' vintage photographs celebrate cowboys at ease

Bruce of Los Angeles was one of the most prolific photographers of the male nude, and his influence was far-reaching. Artists including Robert Mapplethorpe, Herb Ritts and Bruce Weber were inspired by his physique photography, which blended studio professionalism with an old world Hollywood glamour.

Critic Vince Aletti – who published his own collection of physique photography last year – has long been a fan, curating a selection of Bruce’s works for an upcoming exhibition at Acne Paper Palais Royal, Paris. The 77 images in the collection, drawn from his personal collection, are from the photographer’s Rodeo series, created during his travels across the American West.

They mark a change in Bruce’s previously established style, seeing him move away from working with professional models in a studio environment, instead photographing cowboys and rodeo riders in their own environments across Arizona, California, Oregon and Canada. He resisted embellishing or imposing narratives on his subjects, letting them be as they naturally were, rather than performing for the camera.

Born Bruce Bellas, the photographer began his career as a chemistry teacher in his home state of Nebraska, losing his job after photographing a male nude. He moved to California, opening his studio in 1948, establishing a distinctive style which celebrated the male body for a mostly hidden gay audience. His Rodeo series was widely recognised as some of his most personal work, and something he pursued for the rest of his life, cut short in 1974 after Bruce suffered a fatal heart attack while photographing a rodeo in Alberta.

'Bruce of Los Angeles: Rodeo' at Acne Paper Palais Royal, Paris from 3 September – 7 October 2026