Harry Bush: His Art and His Life (2027)

Harry Bush: His Art and His Life (2027)

We’re pleased to announce a new Harry Bush book is in the works for 2027 release. Follow @harry_bush_archive on instagram for updates and more of Harry Bush’s incredible artwork in your Instagram feed and SIGN UP HERE to get notified when the Kickstarter fundraiser goes live!

Funny, sassy, and certainly sexy, drawings by American artist Harry Bush (1926-1994) remain among the darlings of the 20th century male erotic art genre. And he is one of the most enigmatic artists of that period.

Discovered by famed photographer Bob Mizer, Harry first appeared on the cover of Physique Pictorial in 1965. He went on to make work for Mr. Sun, In Touch, Drummer, Stroke, and other gay magazines.

Published by Kettler-Verlag in Germany, the San Francisco-based Bob Mizer Museum and Photographic Archives.. coming in 2027, HARRY BUSH: His Art and His Life, co-edited by Hunter O’Hanian and Mischa Gawronski.

The book tells Harry’s story through the hundreds of letters and works of art he left behind.

Having grown up in Southern California, Harry served in the US military during WWII, then moved to Washington and worked at the Pentagon. In 1964, at age 38, after 20 years in the military, he moved back to California to “be part of the gay community ” and to be an artist. He said he was motivated to draw to “get access to cock.”

Along the way, he met and befriended other gay erotic artists of his day, including Neel Bate aka Blade, Bill Ward, and Tom of Finland.

Harry’s art is loved because of its humor and exceptional renderings of the male form. But there was a dark side to Harry’s life. Perhaps given his military background, Harry felt let down by the gay community in the 1960s and 1970s in Southern California. He withdrew, turned morose, and at times tore up his own artwork. In his later years, he was in fragile health—and mostly by his own doing—alone.

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