Maurice Vellekoop’s Pin-ups

Mixing the coy sensuality of great girlie artists like Vargas and Gil Elvgren with the larger-than-life homoerotics of Tom of Finland and Harry Bush, acclaimed artist Maurice Vellekoop presents a clever gallery of gay fantasy figures. Vellekoop’s colorful creations prod the viewer with a mischievous smile or a haughty leer, each as aroused as they are arousing. These gay icons include everything from a cigar-chomping army sergeant to a pimple-bottomed nerd. Part of the book’s pleasure is in identifying the sources of Vellekoop’s satirical riffing. Observant readers can discover references to Italian gladiator movie posters, children’s fairy tales, Frazetta-style fantasy art, and Bruce Weber underwear campaigns. Vellekoop also does a queer makeover of such treasured figures as Gainsborough’s Blue Boy and Michelangelo’s David. These unique pin-ups offer a delightfully sexy celebration of male beauty in the artist’s trademark sizzling Technicolor tones.