A Man with Dumb-bells at the Muscle Beach, Santa Monica, CA, 1954 by Larry Silver shows some of the fun activities at the original Muscle Beach. Photo: Larry Silver

ART REVIEW

Larry Silver’s photographs of weightlifters, gymnasts, and fun loving beachgoers at the Muscle Beach, Santa Monica, California are reminders of the good old times.

BY KAZAD

NEW YORK, NY– Muscle Beach, an exclusive online exhibition of Larry Silver’s iconic body of work is on display at Bruce Silverstein Gallery. The photography exhibition shows a passion of Larry Silver while he was in Los Angeles, California. Silver arrived at the Art Center School in Los Angeles after earning a full scholarship in 1953, and after winning first prize in the Scholastic-Ansco Photography Awards during his senior year at High School of Industrial Art in New York City.

Soon after arriving in California, Silver began taking photographs at the Santa Monica Beach in a specific area known as Muscle Beach. The origin of the Muscle Beach dates back to the 1940s. Originally known as “Santa Monica Beach Playground”, the name Muscle Beach began to gain popularity as gymnastics and strength athletes congregated to exercise and practice there. The name Muscle Beach stuck as the fame of the beach grew.

In a matter of years, Monica Beach became a must visit for local and international exercise buffs in Santa Monica. Adding to the popularity of the Monica Beach as the place where people go to flex their muscles and have fun is the establishment of a gym near the seashore.  Vic Tanny, the famed pioneer gym chain operator opened a weightlifting gym about two city blocks from Muscle Beach in Santa Monica. The presence of the gym increased the attraction of bodybuilders and strength lifters to Muscle Beach from across the nation.

Larry Silver’s extensive photographing brings to life many of the activities that went on at the Muscle Beach. The photographs include boardwalk locals, weightlifters, and performers. Furthermore, there is a focus on the entertainment, energy, and spectacle of the vibrant coastal neighborhood during the mid-century era, a thriving cultural moment in a burgeoning California.

Newboy at  Muscle Beach

Larry Silver, Newsboy, Muscle Beach, Santa Monica, CA, 1954. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 in. (40.6 x 50.8 cm). Image: Bruce Silverstein Gallery

One of the photographs in the show captures a boy standing in the middle of the sandy beach. All around him are people having fun on swings and others sitting on beach chairs. Directly behind the boy is a story building. Unlike many of the people in the picture, the boy was not there to have fun; He was there to sell newspapers. The boy is a Herald Newspaper vendor.  Dressed in a short sleeve shirt and a pair of jeans, the boy has in his hand what is left of his newspaper. Around his waist is a scarf with ‘Herald Newspaper’ boldly inscribed on it.

Man with Dumb-Bells, another photograph in the collection has two muscular men raising dumb-bells in what looks like a Muscle Beach competition for the world strongest man. As the men try to raise the dumb-bells over their heads, their struggle with the heavyweights is clear on their faces. The expression on the face of the weightlifter in the foreground of the picture looks like one having a difficult encounter with a recalcitrant flatulent. Even as he struggles with the dumb-bells, his bicep burst under his rolled-up shirtsleeves.

The contestant on the other side of the picture is not doing any better. His twisted and contoured face points to a man incapable of fulfilling the objective at hand. The spectators around the men are not amused at all.  In addition to not cheering the muscle bursting adventure of the two weightlifters, they look people who have lost money in a bet. Clearly, they doubt the capacity of the two weightlifters that must have been boastful of their prowess before the competition started.

Beyond weightlifters, the Muscle Beach was also a place where gymnasts visit to show their dexterity. Silver was thorough in documenting the activities of the gymnasts. Two Men Doing a Handstand, 1954 captures two men in a gymnastic maneuver that seems out of the daredevil playbook. In the picture, a man lays on his back on the ground while another man balances on his outstretched hand with his legs flying in the sky. In another image titled Headstand, a man balances his head on the head of another man.

Daredevil Maneuver: Two Gymnasts at Muscle Beach

Larry Silver, Two Men Doing a Handstand, Muscle Beach, Santa Monica, CA, 1954. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 in. Image: Bruce Silverstein Gallery

Larry Silver’s focus on Muscle Beach was not just on the weightlifters and gymnasts alone. Some of the photographs also capture spectators at many of the power show events. One of the photographs titled Boardwalk Bench Spectators captures spectators watching an event. In the black and white picture, several men and women dressed in suits sit on benches. Around them are other spectators standing and chatting joyfully. In one corner is a man standing akimbo while another sits on the ground. Behind the spectators are stores with Coca-Cola signs and Frosty Cup.

Another picture titled Boardwalk View also shows spectators watching the muscle pumping events or gymnastics. In addition to spectators, a section of Silver’s photographs capture people who came to the beach to have fun.  One of the photographs titled People on Beach shows a cross-section of people at the Muscle Beach. Watching a Contest, another photograph on display captures spectators at the beach intently watching a contest. Although it is uncertain what they are watching, it is clear they are having so much fun.  The spectators consist of shirtless men and women, some of who had come to the beach to enjoy the beautiful summer weather.

Larry Silver’s photographs of Muscle Beach are memorable. They show how people lived and enjoyed themselves, Santa Monica. Although original Muscle Beach has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions at the International Center of Photography (1985), and at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (1999), the photographs retain their freshness. That is what makes this show at Bruce Silverstein Gallery interesting.

A dedicated photographer Silver has had several solo and group exhibitions across international institutions across the country. They include International Center of Photography, New York; New Orleans Museum of Art, Louisiana; and Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio. Others include Delaware Art Museum; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Brooklyn Museum, New York; Tampa Museum of Art, Florida; High Museum of Art, Atlanta; National Museum of Chinese History, Beijing; and The Jewish Museum, New York.

His works can be found in over 30 museum collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Smithsonian Art Museum, Washington D.C.; Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Silver’s works are in the collection of Brooklyn Museum, New York; Boston Museum of Fine Arts; Houston Museum of Fine Arts; Yale University Art Gallery, Connecticut; and the George Eastman House, Rochester, NY. His works have also been the subject of numerous books and catalogs including Made in California (2000); New York, Portrait of a City (2010); This Was the Photo League (2001) and Suburban Visions (2002). Silver currently lives and works in Connecticut.

Have you been to the Muscle Beach? What are your views? Share your comments and photographs with us.