James Bidgood

TASCHEN 25 - Special edition!

Glamourama

James Bidgood is seen as the father of the pulp and glamour aesthetic, yet his photographic works are still scarcely known. He came to New York in 1951, intent on becoming a musical star, and earned his first wages as a drag performer in Manhattan’s legendary Club 82. His "serious" employment as a window dresser, freelance photographer, and costume designer enabled him to collect the material he needed for his own photo shoots, for which he built complex sets—often in his tiny apartment. In his photographs and films, he pays homage to the youthful male body via elaborate stagings of his romantically shimmering visions of a homoerotic paradise. This monograph presents a complete overview of James Bidgood’s influential body of work.

About the author:
Winner of France’s 2004 Prix de Flore for his memoir The Romanian, Bruce Benderson works as a translator and bilingual author. He has published articles in New York Times Magazine, Village Voice, nest, Paris Vogue, Blackbook, and Libération, among others, and has also taught creative writing, urban culture, and French literature at colleges throughout the United States. He divides his time between New York and Paris.