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Alpha Males
by Henning Von Berg
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Hardcover
Publisher: Bruno Gmunder Verlag Gmbh
Henning von Berg's long overdue retrospective - distinctive, provocative, fascinating!
Henning von Berg fi rst made a name for himself with his photo shoot in Berlin's Reichstag - in 1999 he photographed six naked men, later known as the "Reichstag Rascals", and created an international sensation, catapulting von Berg into the international limelight. He's maintained his penchant for architectural backdrops and bizarre, erotic group scenes to this day, both things that make his images so distinctive. He prefers to work with natural lighting and in unusual settings.
| Customer Reviews: |
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| The Title Says It All |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Henning von Berg's ALPHA MALES is certainly far and away the best book of male nude photography of the year and the most engaging collection by a single artist since Paul Freeman's beautiful BONDI CLASSIC. This outstanding retrospective published by Bruno Gmunder, consisting of over a hundred photographs in color, black and white and sepia, is divided into three sections: "Germany", "North America" and "Round The World." Dr. Boris von Brauchitsch and David Leddick, himself the editor of several similar volumes of photography, have written brief introductions to the photographs. The photographer also includes an occasional quotation to accompany the images from Shakespeare as well as Quentin Crisp and Gore Vidal, whom he calls his "admired role models," along with Martin Luther King, Sir Ian McKellen and John Waters, for their "outspoken fight for equal rights, liberation and freedom," a strange accolade, however, for Mr. Crisp who was mostly famous for being Quentin Crisp and living so long.
While a few of these photographs are predictable-- "Twins," for example of a young god leaning against a mirror-- von Berg creates images over and over of the male animal in all his glory, often erect, without repeating himself, no small accomplishment. Furthermore, he is inclusive in his choice of models. Caucasians, blacks, Asians and Latinos, the musclebound, those sans muscles, the older (the model Leo Jackson) as well as the younger, the tattooed, the occasional cross-dresser, all get to do their thing before the photographer's lens.
There seems to be no end to either von Berg's creativity or humor. Some of his most effective shots include several naked men together, often doing risque things ("Domination IX" and "Domination I", "Intermezzo III" and "Intermezzo IV." Also "Exercising" and "Training," both photographs that are beautifully naturally lit from the windows, should you happen to notice.) Many of the images from North America are shot in the rugged desert of California far away from the madding crowd of censors. Some of these shots are scary-- for instance, in the photograph entitled "Hanging" the model is hanging just by his fingers from a ledge of a high buiding. Also "Cliff Dancer" in which the model clad only in a tutu appears to be stepping off a high mountain ridge. "The Milk Man" is shot just after having poured milk down the front of his body. Obviously von Berg is playing with words in his shot of the blond seated before a Hardman grand piano.
Some of my favorite photographs: "Brandenburg Gate" and "Stairway" from the Berlin series; "The Bat" in which the model, wearing a bat mask, is crouching on a high cliff; "Russian-Brazilian Hunk," aptly named and exquisitely lit; the last photograph in the book, "Sampson's Hair," albeit fake dreds; "Meditation IV," a brilliant juxtaposition of a naked man inside a beautiful church; and finally "Cook," of a thin young man wearing only women's platform shoes in a pose that Helmut Newton, one of the photographers von Berg lists as among his idols, would have approved of, accompanied by a quotation from the acerbic Mr. Crisp: "For flavor, instant sex will never supercede the stuff you have to peel and cook." The most amazing picture in the collection has to be "Antenna." When you see it, you'll understand why. (The pages in ALPHA MALES are not numbered so it is difficult to refer easily to the photographs.) The photographer does name his models, however, and gives the dates and locations of each shot. Most of the models are included more than once as well.
This book is one you will come back to again and again and that will bring you much pleasure.
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