Dianora Niccolini

25 years ago gay magazines were full of photographic images of sexy men. Thus, the male nude became stigmatized. Photographing the male nude was not considered an art form but rather was relegated to homoerotic pornography. Homosexual men had always photographed their lovers (and other men willing to pose for them) since the onset of photography. Few women dared and even less showed their work publicly. It was at this time that one woman emerged as a pioneer and one of the most important trend setters of the late 20th century; Dianora Niccolini

In 1975, she presented THE MALE NUDE, which at that time was strictly taboo. The exhibition broke many rules. Heads were cropped to make the images look timeless and impersonal, lot of close-ups including one¹s of the penis photographed in idyllic settings. By using the above techniques and often placing models in non-threatening environments like nature, she seduced the viewer to look at the naked man.

Favorable reviewed by Gene Thornton in The Sunday New York Times of December 7, 1975 wrote , the male nude in photography was finally legitimized and accepted by the art community after much criticism. One of her first male models was an Afro-American body builder. His photographs have been included in many photographic anthologies and were also widely exhibited in the mid seventies and pre dated Mapplethorpe's images of body builders by several years.

In 1978, the year she met first Robert Mapplethorpe, 5 of her male nude photos were presented in a very controversial art exhibit at the Marcuse Pfeifer gallery. In spite of this, she continued to exhibit her male nudes and the reviews continued to be favorable Several years later Robert Mapplethorpe surfaced in association with Sam Wagstaff, a well-respected collector of photography. Wagstaff arranged a simultaneous exhibition of Mapplethorpe¹s photographs at the 3 most prestigious places in the NYC Art scene - The Robert Samuel gallery, the Miller gallery and the International Center of Photography. This propelled Mapplethorpe to a super star status.

Selections of Dianora¹s works were published in WOMEN OF VISION in 1982. Several exhibits followed in New York and Provincetown. By 1984, her career as a medical photographer had come to an end and in the summer of that year she introduced for the first time the mermale ( half male and half fish) in the Coney Island parade. Between 1979 to 1984 Dianora served as the first president of THE PROFESSIONAL WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS. Under her leadership, PWP became recognized as a leading professional organization for women photographers.

Throughout the 80¹s and 90¹s major anthologies, greeting cards and posters were published worldwide and continued to influence a new generation of photographers.

Diannora¹s reputation as the female pioneer in photography of the male nude was re-established by David Leddick when he included 15 photographs and the cover of his book THE MALE NUDE published by Taschen in 1998, one of the most comprehensive historical surveys on the male nude. He also included photographs in the male nude books that followed including Men in the Sun and BIG FUN WITH BILLY.

In 1998 she had a one woman mini- retrospective at the Throckmorton Fine Art gallery in New York city.

ANTHOLOGIES
HISTORY OF THE NUDE IN PHOTOGRAPHY, Arthur Goldsmith.Ridge press. 1975
WOMEN PHOTOGRAPH MEN, D.Hayes. Wm. Morrow.1977
WOMEN SEE MEN, McGraw Hill.1977
NEW AMERICAN NUDES, Morgan and Morgan. 1981
THE MALE NUDE IN PHOTOGRAPHY, Vermont Crossroads Press. 1981
WOMEN OF VISION, Morgan and Morgan. 1982
DAS AKTFOTO - Munchner Stadtmuseum. 1985
FRAUEN SEHEN MANNER, Peter Weiermair. 1985

FULLY EXPOSED : THE MALE NUDE IN PHOTOGRAPHY, Emmanuel Cooper. 1990 THE BODY, Wm. Ewing. 1994
TRADITION AND THE UNPREDICTABLE. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. 1994
MALE NUDES BY WOMEN, P. Weiermair. 1995
EROS, Stewart Tabori and Chang. 1996
KOBE AID FUND WORLD PHOTO. Eikoh Hosoe.1996
THE MALE NUDE, David Leddick, Taschen. 1998
1st INTERNATIONAL BIENNIAL OF CONTEMPORARY ART.Trevi Art Museum. 1998
HOMME, Michelle Olley, Carlton . 1999
ADONIS, Michelle Olley, Carlton. 1999
NAKED MEN TOO, David Leddick, Rizzoli/Universe. 2000
EXPOSED, Phil Braham, Thunder Otilde's Mouth Press. 2000
NAKED MEN NOW, David Leddick, Rizzoli/Universe. 2001
BLACK BEAUTY, Janssen Publishers, 2001

REVIEWS AND LISTINGS
THE VILLAGE VOICE, Centerfold. Dec. 19,1974, Aug. 5, 1976, March 4. 1981
POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY, Mar. 1974; Aug. 1975; Oct. 1976
ARTS MAGAZINE. Oct. 1974
THE NEW YORK TIMES (Arts and Leisure section), A.D. Coleman. Sept. 22, 1974
THE NEW YORK TIMES (Arts and Leisure section), Gene Thornton. Dec.7, 1975
35MM PHOTOGRAPHY MAGAZINE,Summer 1976
SATURDAY REVIEW, May 1979
AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHERS, Les Kranz. 1989
WHO'S WHO IN PHOTOGRAPHY, Five Corners Publications Ltd.1991-1992
MARQUIS' WHO'S WHO IN AMERICAN WOMEN. 1977- 2000
MARQUIS' WHO'S WHO IN THE EAST. 1979-2000

MAGAZINES
APHRA, VOL.6, NO.1 WINTER. 1974-1975
PHOTOGRAPHIC APPLICATIONS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. Jan. 1975
FUNCTIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY. June 1978
AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER, "The Undressed Man", Vicki Goldberg. 5/26/79
POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY'S "HOW TO" MAGAZINE. 1979
POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY, April 1978
FUNCTIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY (Contributing Editor- "At Large") 1980
NEW YORK PHOTO DISTRICT NEWS (Contributing Editor- Reviews) 1980
FV-FOTOGRAFIA de GLAMOUR, Portfolio, (Spanish magazine).1995/ 1-2Ano 8/ #78
FOTO PRO, Portfolio, (Italian Magazine) Aug. 1992 BLUE MAGAZINE.Portfolio.Australia. Feb. 1999

ONE-WOMAN EXHIBITIONS
209 Photo Gallery, NYC,NY. DOUBLE EXPOSURE 1974
The Third Eye Gallery, NYC, NY. "THE FEMALE NUDE" 1974
Top of the Stairs Gallery, NYC, NY. "THE FEMALE NUDE" 1974
The Third Eye Gallery. NYC, NY. "THE MALE NUDE" 1975
The Third Eye Gallery, NYC, NY. "THE MONA LISA SERIES" 1976
The Third Eye Gallery, NYC, NY. "POP PHOTART" 1977
The Y Arts Council, Phil., PA. "POP PHOTART" 1978
The Floating Foundation of Photography, NYC, "MONSTER SERIES" 1979
Steve Bush Gallery, NYC. "THE MALE NUDE" 1981
The West Broadway Gallery, NYC. "PHOTO ALTERATIONS" 1981
The Photographics Unltd. Gallery. NYC." IN LOVING MEMORY" 1981
The Camera Club, NYC. "EMERGENCY" 1981
The West Broadway Gallery, NYC. "MEN WATCHING" 1982
The Overseas Press Club, NYC. "MEN IN FOCUS" 1983
The Impulse Gallery, Provincetown, Ma. "MEN IN FOCUS" 1983
The Throckmorton Fine Art Gallery, NYC. "THE MALE NUDE" 1998
The Throckmorton Fine Art Gallery, NYC. "BILLY" 2001

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
International Photo optical Show - Wash., D.C., 1974
International Photo Optical Show - Chicago, 1974
The Interchurch Center, -Women Photographers of NY- NYC.1974
Women's Interart Center, -A Summer exhibit of photos- NYC.1974
The Camera Club of New York, Women Photographers of NY, NYC.1975
South Street Seaport Museum, Women Photographers of NY, NYC.1975
Donnell Library, Women photographers of NY, NYC. 1975
Manufacturers Hanover Trust, Women photographers of NY, NYC.1975
Union Carbide Building, Women Photographers of NY, NYC. 1975
Fashion Institute of Technology, Breadth of Vision, NYC. 1975
Neikrug Gallery, There is No Female Camera, NYC. 1975
The Third Eye Gallery, New York Eyes, NYC. 1976
The Italian Consulate, Italian American Artists, NYC. 1976
ICP, First Annual Spring Show, NYC. 1976
ICP, Women Photograph Men, NYC. 1976
The Third Eye Gallery, Influx, NYC. 1976
Witkin Gallery, Photography Auction to Refloat the Floating Foundation of Photography, NYC. 1976
Women's Interart Center Sectional Images, NYC. 1977
Union Carbide Building, Volunteer Service Photographers, NYC. 1977
Neikrug Gallery, Rated X, NYC. 1977
Images Gallery, Group Show, NYC. 1977
Marcuse Pfeiffer Gallery, The Male Nude, NYC. 1978
The French Embassy, Volunteer Service Photographers, NYC. 1978

The Floating Foundation of Photography, Foods and other Pleasures, NYC. 1979 Neikrug Gallery, Rated X, NYC. 1979
Fotoforum, International Group Exhibition, Czechoslovakia, 1980
Neikrug Gallery, Rated X, NYC. 1980
Pratt University, Photofusion,NYC. 1981
MIT Creative Photography Gallery, Group Show, Massachusetts. 1981
80 Centre Street, Generations, Views by Women Artists, NYC. 1982
Foto Gallery, Male Nudes, S. Wales, UK.1983
Silver Image Gallery, The Nude, Seattle, Wa.. 1990
Gallery Stendhal, True Love and Other Stories. NYC. 1991
Jacob Javitz Federal Building, Visual Individualists United,NYC. 1992
The Museum Of Fine Arts, The Allan Chasanoff Photographic Collection, Houston, Texas. 1994
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, The Body, Montreal, Canada. 1997
The Curcio Spector Gallery, The Male Nude, NYC.1997
Neikrug gallery, Rated X, NYC. 1993
Throckmorton Fine Art Gallery,Male Nude (mini retrospective),NYC.1997
Trevi Flash Art Museum, First International Biennial, Trevi, Italy. 1998
Culturgest Museum of Fine Art, The Nude, Portugal. 1999
The Fraser Gallery, Wash., D.C. "PHOTOGRAPHY ONLY", 2002

BOOKS
WOMEN OF VISION, Dianora Niccolini, Unicorn publishing. 1982
MEN IN FOCUS, Dianora Niccolini, Morgan & Morgan. 1983
BIG FUN WITH BILLY, D. Leddick, Dianora Niccolini, Universe/Rizzoli.2001

PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
The International Center of Photography (ICP), NYC.,NY.
Erie Art Center, PA.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Wash., DC.
The Alternative Museum, NYC, NY.
The Museum of Fine Arts, ( The Allan Chasanoff Photographic Collection), Houston, Texas.
The Throckmorton Fine Art Gallery, NYC, NY.