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AFTER DARK: Photography & The Male Form

Thu, Sep 24, 2026 07:00PM EDT
  2026-09-24 19:00:00 2026-09-24 19:00:00 America/New_York Vallots Auctioneers Vallots Auctioneers : AFTER DARK: Photography & The Male Form https://auction.vallots.com/auctions/vallot-auctioneers/after-dark-photography-the-male-form-24301
Our special September edition of AFTER DARK, features a curated collection of fine art photography focused on the beauty of the male form. Our latest catalog is a comprehensive history of male portrait photography, from early 20th century photos and affectionate portraits by Wilhelm von Gloeden, to American trailblazers like George Platt Lynes, the PaJaMa group, Herb Ritts, and further still to contemporary legends like Jack Pierson and Annie Leibovitz. This auction also includes an array of works from the collections of tastemakers like Sir Elton John, Charles Cowles, and William Como.
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Lot 7

Mel Roberts (American, 1923-1991)

Estimate: $800 - $1,200
Starting Bid
$400

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,500 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000

Bobby, Pacific Palisades, 1959.
Cibachrome print. 5/50.

Titled and dated in pen on the lower margin, "Bobby, Pacific Palisades, 1959"; Signed and editioned on the lower margin, "Mel Roberts, 5/50".

Image: 14 x 14 in. (35.5 x 35.5 cm)

Frame: 23 1/2 x 23 1/4 in. (59.5 x 59 cm)


Literature:

Roberts, Mel, and David Aden Gallery. California Boys: Color Photographs 1959-1980. Santa Monica, California: Fotofactory Press, 2000. p. 19, illustrated.

 

Notes:

An photograph taken by the pioneering gay American photographer Mel Roberts. Roberts was best known for both his work photographing the beach-bodied men of California and his work as a gay rights activist, often drawing the ire of the McCarthy administration in the process. As an active member of the Mattachine Society and an openly gay man producing an extensive body of photographic work, Roberts' home in Bel Air was routinely raided for his negatives, photographs, and camera equipment, eventually resulting in the artist's early retirement in 1981.

Condition

Nothing adverse to note.

 

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Rago/Wright Auctions. Los Angeles, CA. Loud & Proud: LGBTQ+ Art. October 22, 2024, lot 163.

Property of a Wisconsin Estate, acquired from the above.