Stroke: From Under the Mattress to Out in the Open

The new book Stroke: From Under the Mattress to Out in the Open, by Robert W Richards and Hunter O'Hanian (Bruno Gmunder Press - Berlin 2015), is a collection of artwork by 29 artists who made sexy and erotic illustrations for the gay male magazines from the 1950s to the 1990s, and will have a launch party Sept. 24 at the Leslie-Lohman Museum in New York City.

It is forgotten body of work that explores the male form and an examination of gay male private life, as experienced through magazines that were available on nearly every street corner in America - but often kept under their mattresses for fear of being discovered. The book is based on a successful exhibition, curated by artist Robert W Richards that was at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in spring 2014 and traveled to the Stonewall Archives and Museum in Fort Lauderdale in winter 2015. Work by Robert W. Richards will be available for view at the time of the party and copies of the book will be for sale.