Richard Titlebaum at the Leslie/Lohman Gallery.

Richard Titlebaum’s early art (completed prior to 1990) was dominated by highly stylized symbolic elements. His nude scenes of Ancient Troy, Greece, Rome, and the Middle East featured the traditional male athletic physique with the genitalia done in a prefunctory style. However, he had always done life sketches during his career, including self-portraits. Most of these works were unrelenting, starkly honest depictions of the human body and its multitudinous imprefections.

By the early 1990’s, Titlebaum had achieved a significant measure of success with his art works, winning awards at various art shows and selling a fair number of works on a yearly basis. He remained committed to improving his art, especially his homoerotic art, and he realized that this improvement could come only through the use of life models.

Life drawing classes provided Titlebaum with basic tools to expand his oeuvre. He realized that he needed a cooperative model who would allow him to be sketched and studied to serve as a prototype for future art works. A relatively good-looking trim (but not muscular) man in his late 20s agreed to go over to Titlebaum's studio for an afternoon and pose. “Charles” was a relatively well-known member of the gay community in Oakland County (MI), but not a model or entertainer. Titlebaum made sketches and took a variety of measurements to enable him to use Charles as a subject in all his future work. One man present at the modelling session as an observer was surprised at how clinical Titlebaum’s attitude was throughout. However, the artist viewed this as a unique opportunity, and was able to use the information and the image of Charles to produce a series of unforgettable homoerotic images.

Click here to view Richard Titlebaum's biography.

RICHARD THEODORE TITLEBAUM (AMERICAN, 1939 - 2007) Richard Titlebaum's use of Life Models Anita Baker-Blocker Amazing. For the first time in 4 or 5 years, I went to a 3-hour life drawing session at the Art Association and produced several excellent studies...of a nice-looking guy in his early 20s named Brian....They look much more spontaneous than my formal nudes that I've made from black and white photos. These nudes are of perfect bodies, the top Colt models, whereas Brian had only an ordinary body. One argument against porno is that it gives the “consumer” a warped idea of humanity by focusing only on perfect physiques. This, be it noted, is not my idea. — Richard Tittlebaum, March 21, 1991
	Charles in Chaps, 1994 Acrylic on board 48 x 24" 2007.2399.0001	Richard Titlebaum’s early art (completed prior to 1990) was dominated by highly stylized symbolic elements. His nude scenes of Ancient Troy, Greece, Rome, and the Middle East featured the traditional male athletic physique with the genitalia done in a prefunctory style. However, he had always done life sketches during his career, including self-portraits. Most of these works were unrelenting, starkly honest depictions of the human body and its multitudinous imprefections. By the early 1990’s, Titlebaum had achieved a significant measure of success with his art works, winning awards at various art shows and selling a fair number of works on a yearly basis. He remained committed to improving his art, especially his homoerotic art, and he realized that this improvement could come only through the use of life models. Life drawing classes provided Titlebaum with basic tools to expand his oeuvre. He realized that he needed a cooperative model who would allow him to be sketched and studied to serve as a prototype for future art works. A relatively good-looking trim (but not muscular) man in his late 20s agreed to go over to Titlebaum's studio for an afternoon and pose. “Charles” was a relatively well-known member of the gay community in Oakland County (MI), but not a model or entertainer. Titlebaum made sketches and took a variety of measurements to enable him to use Charles as a subject in all his future work. One man present at the modelling session as an observer was surprised at how clinical Titlebaum’s attitude was throughout. However, the artist viewed this as a unique opportunity, and was able to use the information and the image of Charles to produce a series of unforgettable homoerotic images. Click here to view Richard Titlebaum's biography.

	Biker Boy, 1993 45 x 34" 2007.2399.0002

	Puit's Voyage to the Orient, 1998 12 x 16" 2007.2399.0003

	Devotion, 1977 14 x 16.5" 2007.2399.0004

	Gay Siamese Twins, 1988 Watercolor 18 x 24" 2007.2399.0005

	Seamen, 1977 18 x 24" 2007.2399.0006

	Pornographia, 1977 18 x 24" 2007.2399.0007

	Johnny Tudor No. 1, 1978 18 x 18" 2007.2399.0008

	Satanic Principle, 1977 18 x 24" 2007.2399.0009

	Cruising, 1994 Acrylic on paper 23 x 17.5" 2007.2399.0010


	Tattoo, 1993 Mixed media 34 x 34" 2007.2399.0011


	Power of Blackness, 1992 40 x 26" 2007.2399.0012


	Cupid and Zeus, 1994 24 x 36" 2007.2399.0013

More images to come...
Plus 180 digital collages (8.5 x 11" each).