The Bob Mizer Museum and Photography Archives announced today that they are launching a Kickstarter campaign on August 15 for a new book about American gay artist Harry Bush (1926-1994). The book will be co-edited by Hunter O'Hanian, the founding director of the Leslie-Lohman Museum, and Mischa Gawronski, the former creative director of Bruno Gmunder books in Berlin.

Funny, sassy, and certainly sexy, drawings by American artist Harry Bush (1926-1994) remain among the darlings of the 20th century male erotic art genre. And he is one of the most enigmatic artists of that period. Discovered by famed photographer Bob Mizer, Harry first appeared on the cover of Physique Pictorial in 1965. He went on to make work for Mr. Sun, In Touch, Drummer, Stroke, and other gay magazines.

Published by Kettler-Verlag in Germany, the San Francisco-based Bob Mizer Museum and Photographic Archives will release Harry Bush – His Art and His Life, co-editedby Hunter O’Hanian and Mischa Gawronski.

The book tells Harry’s story through the hundreds of letters and works of art he left behind. Having grown up in Southern California, Harry served in the US military during WWII, then moved to Washington and worked at the Pentagon. In 1964, at age 38, after 20 years in the military, he moved back to California to “be part of the gay community ” and to be an artist. He said he was motivated to draw to “get access to cock.” Along the way, he met and befriended other gay erotic artists of his day, including Neel Bate aka Blade, Bill Ward, and Tom of Finland.

Harry’s art is loved because of its humor and exceptional renderings of the male form. But there was a dark side to Harry’s life. Perhaps given his military background, Harry felt let down by the gay community in the 1960s and 1970s in Southern California. He withdrew, turned morose, and at times tore up his own artwork. In his later years, he w as in fragile health—and mostly by his own doing—alone.

The editors have visited gay archives across the US -- ONE Archive, Tom of Finland Foundation, GLBT Historical Society, Leather Archive & Museum, Leslie Lohman Museum, and the Mizer Museum. They have discovered more than two thousand pages of archival material about Harry, mostly his own letters, along with hundreds of artworks – thankfully saved by Mizer Museum patrons Robert Mainardi and Trent Dunphy. Those works are now part of the Mizer collection. With an extensive biography written by Hunter O’Hanian, the book will not only track Harry’s career but also the history of gay publishing from 1950 to 1990. Everything from a “slave auction,” to pirated artwork to the destruction of hundreds of works of art.

The book is due out in Spring 2027.

Interested in helping fund this part of gay history?

Visit: https://bobmizer.org/harry-bush-book

The Bob Mizer Foundation is a project that preserves the legacy of erotic gay artwork for future generations of gay, bi and trans men to enjoy. Their mission statement says "As a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit, our mission is driven by the need to preserve Bob Mizer's archives, which include over two million photographic works, and his equipment, props, sets, and remaining personal effects. In addition, The Museum holds works by some of Mizer's contemporaries and successors, including George Quaintance, Bruce Bellas, and Dave Martin. It exhibits photographic shows by artists producing works that visually, politically, or otherwise push mainstream societal boundaries.

We intend to spur thought and discussion in our San Francisco institution by protecting and exposing photography that has been discriminated against or otherwise marginalized. Teaching the public and disseminating educational material about photographic artwork created by LGBT artists including, but not limited to, publications, exhibitions, and workshops is the heart of our work.

Every donation makes a difference and has a tremendous impact on our work."