Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality
Since we've been discussing the 'out of bounds' gay venues of the 1940s and 50s,
I thought I'd post about Bob Mizer's AMG (Athletic Model Guild) Studio.
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I have a
very slight connection to AMG in that my daughter lives within the S Bonnie Brae Historic Tract, Pico-Union, across W 11th st from the former AMG compound. She took a picture of it for us from her porch:
t2, jr
AMG was also on the final at art school because one of the most influential painters of the 20th century, Englishman David Hockney (born 1937), was basing paintings on images he found in AMG's Physique Pictorial magazine before he had ever visited LA:
Man in Shower, Beverly Hills (1964) Tate Gallery, London
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/...4/text-summary
Hockney soon followed AMG's siren song to Los Angeles and was both repelled and intrigued by the scene he found on W 11th St,
"I went to visit the place where Physique Pictorial was published, in a very seedy area of downtown Los Angeles. It's run by a wonderful complete madman and he has this tacky swimming pool surrounded by Hollywood Greek plaster statues. It was marvelous!" He found the lads in attendance, "all a bit rough looking, but the bodies are quite good. The faces are terrible, not pretty boys really."
https://books.google.com/books?id=ub...83084600251530
Hockney was not the first immigrant whose LA fantasies didn't quite match LA's reality.
Hockney lived in LA from 1964 to 1968 and again from 1978-2005 before returning to his native Yorkshire. He still maintains a home and office here.
Some
norishers may recall it was Hockney who designed the squiggles painted on the bottom of the pool at the Hotel Roosevelt which caused a bit of a flap in 1989.
http://www.sherrijphotography.com/20...l-photography/
The homes on the S Bonnie Brae Historic Tract were built in 1890-1905 on former farmland. However, according to the LA Conservancy, two, Nos. 1047 & 1053, opposite my daughter's, were moved to S Bonnie Brae in 1909 from downtown to escape the crush of commercial development. I do not know their former addresses:
gsv (as one can see, maintenance is a bit uneven on S Bonnie Brae)
Big changes are due for Pico-Union (and Westlake). Properties are changing hands at incredible rates. The area's convenience to DTLA & the downtown views is tempting developers.
More info on the S Bonnie Brae Historic Tract/Pico-Union:
LA Conservancy Walking Tour:
https://www.laconservancy.org/sites/...n_Tour_new.pdf
Wiki page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_B...toric_District
Big Orange Landmarks on No 1036 S Bonnie Brae (the queen of the block):
http://bigorangelandmarks.blogspot.c...ae-street.html