Artist
Herbert Bayer (American, born Austria, 1900–1985)American, born Austria, 1900–1985
CultureAmerican
Titles
- Muscles
Date1934
Made inUnited States
MediumGelatin silver print with applied color and collage
DimensionsImage: 10 1/2 × 11 1/2 in. (26.7 × 29.2 cm)
Sheet: 10 1/2 × 11 1/2 in. (26.7 × 29.2 cm)
Sheet: 10 1/2 × 11 1/2 in. (26.7 × 29.2 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Louisa Stude Sarofim
Object number86.496
Not on view
Explore Further
Department
PhotographyObject Type
Bayer was a prominent member of the Bauhaus, Germany’s avant-garde school of
modern design, before leaving in 1928 to become art director for the German
edition of Vogue magazine. In 1934,
Bayer traveled to Greece, where he developed a strong affinity for classical
Greek art. Muscles, created that same
year, portrays idealized, classical male bodies that epitomize the utopian
aesthetic championed by the Nazis.
Provenance[Kicken-Pauseback Gallery, Cologne, Germany]; purchased by MFAH, 1986.
Exhibition HistoryExhibited Photographic Masterworks: Recent Acquisitions from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Glassell School January 23 - March 4, 1990
"Utopia/ Dystopia: Construction and Destruction in Photography and Collage," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 11 March - 10 June, 2012.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
lower right on the image in pencil: herbert bayer 34
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.
William Wegman
1970
Single-channel digital video, transferred from Sony CV 1/2-inch video tape, black-and-white, sound
2019.402.3