Sale 2489 - Artists & Amateurs: Photographs & Photobooks, October 18, 2018

381 c   (BODYBUILDING) A bound volume with approximately 75 photographs from Studio Arax centering around the figure Odile Bennézon. Including artful portraits exposing bulging muscles, group portraits, the men with their trophies and on the winner’s stand, as well as competition stills. Silver prints, the images measuring 9x6 1 / 2 inches (22.9x16.5 cm.), the sheets slightly larger, and the reverse, each with Bacquemane’s extensive notations identifying the musclemen, location, date, and competition details, in ink, in French, the Studio Arax Paris hand stamp, and the Collection Lucien Bacquemane hand stamp, on verso. 4to, green leather-backed boards over marbled paper. 1962-66 [1,500/2,500] From the Collection of Lucien Bacquemane, who was considered the greatest collector of male physique photography, and engaged the photography studio Arax to produce images of his favorite male specimens. 381 382 c   (PRO WRESTLING) An archive with over 120 portraits of pre-WWE Pro-wrestlers striking theatrical poses, photographed by Lil’ Al’ Vavasseur, the renowned Louisiana wrestling photographer. Depicting scantily clad wrestlers such as Andre the Giant, Rick Renaldo, a young Tony Atlas (“Mr. USA”), Assassin, Rick Flair, Siki Samoan, Arman Hussian, Sweet Daddy Watts, Suni War Cloud, Baron Karl Von Krupp, Porkchop Cash, the Sito Brothers, Randy Alls, Super Gladiator, The Alaskan, and The Scuff lin’ Hillbillies. Silver prints (123), the images measuring 10x8 inches (25.4x20.3 cm.), many with Lil’ Al’s hand stamp and/or printed credit on recto, and each with at least two different Lil’ Al hand stamps, some including the date, and notations identifying the wrestlers, in ink, on verso. 1970s [1,200/1,800] 382