James Alan Bidgood (March 28, 1933 – January 31, 2022), also known by the pseudonym Les Folies des Hommes, was an American filmmaker, photographer and visual and performance artist, known for his highly stylized and homoerotic works.
Life and career
James Alan Bidgood was born in
Stoughton, Wisconsin
Stoughton ( ) is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. It straddles the Yahara River about southeast of the state capital, Madison, Wisconsin, Madison. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,173. Stoughton is part of the Madison ...
, and grew up in
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...
. He moved to New York City in 1951, and attended
Parsons The New School for Design
The Parsons School of Design is a private art and design college under The New School located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhattan art ...
in the late 1950s. His artistic output embraced a number of media and disciplines, including music, set and window design, and
drag performance
A drag show is a form of entertainment performed by drag artists impersonating men or women, typically in a bar or nightclub as a burlesque-style, adult-themed nightclub event.
The modern drag show originated in the speakeasies and underground ...
. He got his start performing at East Village drag club
Club 82
Club 82, also known as the 82 Club, was a nightclub in Manhattan, New York City that employed Drag queen, female impersonators as entertainers. The nightclub had a second life as a music venue, but was eventually closed.
History Predecessors
...
, using the
stage name
A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
Terri Howe.
His interests led him to photography and film and it is for this work that he is most widely known. His photographs are distinguished by an aesthetic of high fantasy and camp, inspired by an early interest in
Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the '' Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He al ...
,
Folies Bergère
150px, Stanisław Julian Ignacy Ostroróg">Walery, 1927
The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the arc ...
, and
George Quaintance
George Quaintance (June 3, 1902 – November 8, 1957) was an American artist, famous for his "idealized, strongly homoerotic" depictions of men in mid-20th-century physique magazines.Pink Narcissus'' in 1971, after filming in his small apartment from 1963 to 1970. The film is a dialogue-free fantasy centered around a young and often naked man. The film took seven years to make, and Bidgood built all the sets and filmed the entire piece in his tiny apartment. He later removed his name from the film because he felt editors had changed his original vision. Consequently, the identity of the film's creator was only a matter of speculation for nearly three decades after its release, with
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...
frequently floated as a candidate. It was not until 1998 that writer
Bruce Benderson
Bruce Benderson (born August 6, 1946) is an American author, born to parents of Russian Jewish descent, who lives in New York. He attended William Nottingham High School (1964) in Syracuse, New York and then Binghamton University (1969). He is toda ...
decided to investigate the matter, and eventually traced them to Bidgood, then living on 14th Street in
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
. Through a friend who was an agent, Benderson arranged publication of Bidgood's output under his own name for the first time and also wrote the first complete monograph on Bidgood, which was published by
Taschen
Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt Taschen and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen.
History
The company began as Tasch ...
. Bidgood's film ''Pink Narcissus'' was re-released in 2003 by
Strand Releasing
Strand Releasing is an American film production company founded in 1989 and is based in Culver City, California. The company has distributed over 300 auteur-driven titles from acclaimed international and American directors such as Apichatpong W ...
.
When the pornographic film industry began to blossom in the early 1970s, Bidgood signed with
Hand in Hand Films
Hand in Hand Films was a New York-based gay pornographic film studio that was founded in the early 1970s, as the Golden Age of Porn took shape. The company released more than 40 titles. It became known for producing avant-garde sex films with hi ...
, a burgeoning gay production company with only a handful of films to its name, to produce his second film.
"Beyond These Doors" was to feature Bidgood's lush and colourful photography showcased in scenes of hardcore pornography. However, for unknown reasons, the film was only partially completed and is considered lost. One excerpt of an orgy scene from the film can be seen in the 1975 porn documentary "Good Hot Stuff," which showcases the footage under the working title "Baghdad." After the negative experience, Bidgood effectively left the film industry.
When a profile on Bidgood was written by Artforum in 2019, the author noted that at the time of publishing the piece, he "lives in poverty in New York City."
Bidgood's work is characterized by a heavy reliance on invention. His photographs feature elaborate sets built ground up from the materials of the theatre, fashion, design, and fine art. In a profile of the artist published in ''
Aperture
In optics, the aperture of an optical system (including a system consisting of a single lens) is the hole or opening that primarily limits light propagated through the system. More specifically, the entrance pupil as the front side image o ...
'', Philip Gefter wrote,
Many contemporary themes are found even in the earliest of Bidgood's work. Camp, identity, erotica, desire, marginality, and performance all figure heavily in his portraits of nude men. Bidgood's complex references to the theatre and performance seem to presage Queer articulations of Performance. His techniques, working processes, and masterful use of illusionistic color indicate both a mature understanding of his influences and goals and an important contrast to the art movements of the time the work was first created.
In 1999, the art book publisher
Taschen
Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt Taschen and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen.
History
The company began as Tasch ...
published a monograph of his work including biographical images and stills from his film.
In 2005, Bidgood was honored with a Creative Capital grant which facilitated a return to art photography after a hiatus of nearly 40 years. His later projects include work for
Christian Louboutin
Christian Louboutin (; born 7 January 1964) is a French fashion designer. His stiletto footwear incorporates shiny, red-lacquered soles that have become his signature. Initially a freelance designer for fashion houses, he started his shoe salo ...
and ''
Out
Out or OUT may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
*Out (1957 film), ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956
*Out (1982 film), ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander
*O ...
'' magazine.
In 2008, Taschen included an interview with Bidgood in its publication ''The Big Penis Book'', and published his monograph in 2009. Bidgood's more recent work was featured in ''Out'' in February 2009. Bidgood was represented by ClampArt in New York City, as well as Larry Collins Fine Art in
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown () is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States census, Provi ...
.
Bidgood died from complications of
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
at a Manhattan hospital, on January 31, 2022, at age 88.
Bidgood is often credited as inspiration for photographic artists, including
Pierre et Gilles
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
and
David LaChapelle
David LaChapelle (born March 11, 1963) is an American photographer, music video director, and film director. He is best known for his work in fashion and photography, which often references art history and sometimes conveys social messages. His ...
. He was also an inspiration for and once collaborated with designer
Christian Louboutin
Christian Louboutin (; born 7 January 1964) is a French fashion designer. His stiletto footwear incorporates shiny, red-lacquered soles that have become his signature. Initially a freelance designer for fashion houses, he started his shoe salo ...
.
Personal life
Bidgood met his partner Alan Blair in 1975. They would be together for 10 years until Blair's death in 1985.