TITLE_NAME :
03/20/2026 - 05/16/2026
Galerie Obsession
5 passage Charles Dallery
75011 Paris
Inspired by the ideal proportions of classical statuary, which he discovered as a teenager during a formative trip to Italy, he sought to cultivate a harmonious, balanced, and sculpted physique. Through innovative exercises and a modern diet, Sandow created an artistic discipline and laid the foundations of bodybuilding. Sandow was the first to abandon "trunks," those flesh-colored academic undershirts that upheld Victorian morality and created an illusion of decency. Instead, he emphasized his nudity by powdering his body and sporting a fig leaf that highlighted rather than concealed his masculine attributes, thus approaching the ideal of classical marble. He was the first to present male nudity as an object of desire. By surrendering himself to the gaze, he became the first objectified man. Through his stripteases, he modernized shows and competitions. His performances distanced him from the Strongmen and classical marbles, foreshadowing the Chippendales.
Galerie Obsession
5 passage Charles Dallery
75011 Paris
Inspired by the ideal proportions of classical statuary, which he discovered as a teenager during a formative trip to Italy, he sought to cultivate a harmonious, balanced, and sculpted physique. Through innovative exercises and a modern diet, Sandow created an artistic discipline and laid the foundations of bodybuilding. Sandow was the first to abandon "trunks," those flesh-colored academic undershirts that upheld Victorian morality and created an illusion of decency. Instead, he emphasized his nudity by powdering his body and sporting a fig leaf that highlighted rather than concealed his masculine attributes, thus approaching the ideal of classical marble. He was the first to present male nudity as an object of desire. By surrendering himself to the gaze, he became the first objectified man. Through his stripteases, he modernized shows and competitions. His performances distanced him from the Strongmen and classical marbles, foreshadowing the Chippendales.