Bruce of Los Angeles's Rodeo Photos Show Queer Cowboy Fascination

A new exhibition at Acne Paper Palais Royal in Paris, titled 'Bruce of Los Angeles: Rodeo', showcases 77 vintage photographs by Bruce Bellas, known as Bruce of Los Angeles, a pioneer of physique photography. Curated by Vince Aletti, the show highlights Bellas's rarely seen rodeo portraits, capturing cowboys in casual poses that reveal a different side of his work—less stylized and more spontaneous than his famous male nudes. Bellas, who died in 1974, made regular trips to rodeos across North America from around 1950, photographing cowboys with a homoerotic undertone that predates later cultural references like the Village People or Brokeback Mountain. Aletti, who owns over 150 additional rodeo portraits, notes the range of ages among subjects, from young newcomers to seasoned veterans. The exhibition also includes a poignant coda: Bellas suffered a fatal heart attack at a rodeo in Banff, Alberta, in July 1974. Kevin Allen of the Calgary Gay History Project contextualizes the era's legal and social risks for queer expression, noting that Illinois was the first US state to decriminalize male homosexuality in 1962. Bellas's ability to put his subjects at ease is evident in their relaxed smiles. The exhibition runs from 3 September to 7 October 2026.