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Bradbury Ball, Lewis Forms, Buddy Stanley and Tex Smutley Posed by Jared French
1942
This vintage gelatin silver print depicts four male figures arranged in a line against a textured wall. Three of the men stand partially or fully nude with hands on hips in classical contrapposto poses, while a fourth figure in the center wears a dark overcoat, creating a striking juxtaposition of clothed and unclothed forms. The composition demonstrates the photographer's sophisticated use of studio lighting and staging, characteristic of mid century American figure photography. The work exemplifies George Platt Lynes' exploration of the male form through carefully orchestrated poses and spatial relationships, positioning the viewer as witness to an ambiguous social or artistic scenario. The photograph reflects the artistic and homoerotic sensibilities of 1940s avant garde photography practice.
- Medium
- vintage gelatin silver print
- Overall
- Provenance
- The Ashby/Connolly Collection.
- Spotted At
- Auction House · Rago Auctions
Notes
A Ménage with George Platt Lynes, Rago Auctions, 2026-05-01. Lot 100. Inscribed to verso 'MW George Platt Lynes Bradbury Ball, Lewis Forms, Buddy Stanley, Tex Smutley 1942 posed by Jared French' with collector's stamp.
🔨 Auction Lot
A Ménage with George Platt Lynes
May 1, 2026
Estimate: $1,200 – $1,800
Sold: $3,584
Lot 100
For Sale
More by George Platt Lynes
Collectors with works by George Platt Lynes
Artists in conversation

George Hoyningen-Huene
Russian-American · b. 1900

Hoyningen-Huene worked in the same mid-century fashion photography world as Lynes, producing elegantly composed images for Vogue and Harper's Bazaar that blended classical aesthetic sensibility with surrealist influences and a refined homoerotic undertone in male figure work.

Horst P. Horst
German-American · b. 1906

Horst shared Lynes's circle and aesthetic language, producing surrealist-inflected fashion and figure photography with dramatic sculptural lighting, classical compositional elegance, and a sensual treatment of the male and female form that closely mirrors Lynes's signature style.

Herbert List
German · b. 1903

List produced surrealist-influenced black and white photography of male nudes and classical figures with the same combination of literary sophistication, avant-garde sensibility, and openly homoerotic gaze that defines Lynes's most celebrated work.


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