Timeless: The New Men of Physique Pictorial

SHIPPING APRIL 2026

SAVE BY RESERVING YOUR TODAY

MODERN FACES, CLASSIC MESSAGE

Traditional masculinity is timeless, and in a new book to be released by the Bob Mizer Museum and Photographic Archives, modern eyes will bring it into focus.

PHOTOGRAPHER ROBERT HENRY MIZER (1922-92) has long been considered the father of the male physique photography movement in postwar America.

Mizer photographed models who embodied the tenets of traditional masculinity, which have been appreciated since the ancient world. Many could be found in a zine published by Mizer’s company, The Athletic Model Guild. That publication, which Mizer founded in 1951, was Physique Pictorial.

Though he marketed the publication as one solely dedicated to maintaining good physical health, Mizer’s zine found its way into the hands of closeted gay men who saw something more in this pocket-sized prize. Specifically, they found the models who awakened the sexuality in them that society forced the to suppress. More than merely presenting the picture of good health,

Physique Pictorial connected everyday men to the largely unexplored depths of their identity. It would cost them – and Mizer – dearly, threatening to steal their freedom, their careers, and their reputations. Still, despite the ongoing looming threat of legal action, Mizer continued publishing Physique Pictorial until shortly before his death.

In 2017, the Bob Mizer Museum and Photographic Archives embraced its most ambitious project to date – the resurrection of Physique Pictorial for a 21st century audience. Like Mizer’s original Physique Pictorial, the relaunched version is only offered in printed form. The relaunched zine features a combination of both classic AMG content and works from contemporary photographers – both well-established in the art world and up-and-coming talent.

The editors of Physique Pictorial wish to honor the relaunched publication’s success by publishing works from some of its most accomplished artists.

These images, in stunning full color, showcase the diversity of vision each artist possesses as each presents his own representation of that same traditional masculinity Bob Mizer first sought to present so many decades ago. Those classic portrayals are interspersed with visual elements and settings that also reflect the forward movement of male physique culture into the future. When combined with engaging, dynamic content such as snapshots of Mizer’s personal effects from the AMG compound, as well as in-depth analysis of topics related to the history of Mizer’s life and times, the relaunched Physique Pictorial has returned to captivate an audience of a new generation. Our upcoming book will stand as an homage to the preservation of Mizer’s empire and the enduring, timeless appeal of the male form in the works of modern photographers who have been inspired by both.

• 200+ PAGES

• HARDCOVER

• 40+ MODERN PHYSIQUE PHOTOGRAPHERS

• $79.00 PRE-SALE [REG. $89.00]