Tom of Finland Erotic Art Foundation

[http://www.tomoffinlandfoundation.org/foundation/N_NavbarTOFF.html]
June 16 - November 1, 2005
New York, NY

The Museum of Sex
presents:
Men Without Suits:
Objectifying the American Male Body

Set against a timeline tracing male nude imagery from classical Greece to the 21st Century, the new exhibition explores the impact of photography on American culture.

Challenging the statement "Clothes make the man," Men Without Suits uncovers the facades and persona created in our society with what men wear. Interestingly, the exhibition also reveals these guises continue when the clothes come off, exploring the evolving nature of male erotic appeal, the objectification of the male body and the shifting notions of the male nude both as commodity and fantasy.

"Ubiquitous in modern culture, male nude imagery is seen everywhere today from high fashion magazines, MTV videos and homosexual porn to the Hollywood screen," says exhibition curator John E. Vollmer. "However, scarcely more than 30 years ago these very images were illegal and their photographers, models, and customers were subject to prosecution until a 1968 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which determined the distribution of full frontal nude photographs through the mail was protected by the First Amendment."

And while male nude imagery saturates present day culture, according to Mr. Vollmer, its intrinsic value and meaning is less ingenious than in previous eras. Today nudes often function as a sort of sensual wallpaper, which is highly eroticized, but sexually bland, he says.

Men Without Suits bares masculine ideologies, sexual iconography, and the issues of meaning and perception — from ancient Greek athletes to early 19th Century muscle performers and the aesthetic nudes of George Platt Lyons, to the pumped physiques of comic book super heroes, the sexploitation in advertising and today's body-conscious metrosexuals.

"Once again John Vollmer has created a visual epoch for our visitors," says Dan Gluck, Museum founder and executive director. "Just as he brought 2,500 years of Chinese erotica to life in our second major exhibition Sex Among the Lotus, he brings the American male nude to the forefront of discussion in this exhibit."

Who makes the images? What is their purpose? Who consumes them? The exhibition asks these and other questions, revealing the answers in three divergent themes: Aesthetic Nude: Health and Beauty, Beefcake: American Enterprise, and Naked Men: Commodity and Fantasy.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF SEX
The mission of the Museum of Sex, which opened in October 2002, is to preserve and present the history, evolution, and cultural significance of human sexuality. It is committed to open discourse and exchange and to bringing to the public the best in current scholarship in its exhibitions, programs, and publications.

The Museum of Sex
Gallery Hours: Sunday - Friday 11 AM - 6:30 PM · Saturday 11 AM - 8 PM
Admission is $14.50; $13.50 seniors/students.

233 Fifth Avenue @ 27th Street, New York, NY 10016 · Map  · 866.667.3984
Museum of Sex Website

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