Hidden Master: The Legacy Of George Platt Lynes ****
- Ben Turner
- Jul 8
- 2 min read
Director: Sam Shahid
Country: USA
UK Distributor: Peccadillo Pictures
You’d be forgiven for not knowing the name George Platt Lynes. A renowned fashion photographer of the 1940s and 50s, he was also producing a vast body of work studying the male nude form when homosexuality was still very much against the law. Dying young in 1955, his work has never risen to posthumous acclaim because he wasn’t always in favour with the fashion glitterati and because he died before his LGBT+ legacy could be acknowledged. This documentary aims to change that.
Lynes was a photography wunderkind, whose formative years in Paris introduced him to the artistic elite of the era, including Gertrude Stein and Jean Cocteau. His photographs of them led to commissions from top magazines, with his work appearing regularly in Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. But while working commercially, his vast array of photographs of the male nude were kept completely private for fear of criminal prosecution.
Late in his life, Lynes contributed to Dr. Alfred Kinsey’s study into male sexuality. Upon his death aged 48, this entire secret body of work was left to the Kinsey Institute, who in more recent years have allowed access to it… even if there is “a box” – referred to throughout this film – that remains closed due to what it contains. With the handsome men featuring in his work from the lowly sailor to the Hollywood star, the mind can only imagine what that box might contain…
The film argues that Lynes’ work should be considered in the same light as Robert Mapplethorpe, who was clearly influenced by the older artist. We’re presented with hundreds of remarkable pictures during this film, accompanied by critics and biographers interpreting his oeuvre. And when you see a body of work as accomplished as this and with such a remarkable eye for light and form, it’s impossible not to agree with them.
For lovers of the male form, the work of George Platt Lynes is nothing short of seminal. This illuminating documentary debuts his work to a new generation and we can but hope that it cements his status as not just a hidden master, but a real behemoth of his genre.
UK Release: 11th July 2024 in cinemas, released by Peccadillo Pictures
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