The story of Gene Bilbrew interwoven with hundreds of images. This is the most carefully researched telling of his life ever. Of course we get to see Gene Bilbrew (the man), his wife, his vocal groups of the 1940s and, last but not least, a fantastic collection of his rarest art—the very best of his 24-year career.
While I was writing this I had the idea of placing “mini-portfolios” inside the book. Because what do people want to see from an artist? They want to see art. So after a brief backstory of Bilbrew’s history with Irving Klaw, we see “Eneg For Klaw” followed by his Klaw work. After a brief backstory of Leonard Burtman, we see “Bilbrew for Burtman” followed by his Burtman work. And so on. Bilbrew’s art from the 1950s, in particular, is nothing short of spectacular (see examples below).
Also detailed in the book, and in many ways at the heart of the story is Bilbrew’s relationship with Eric Stanton. Their intense love-hate relationship. This time the story is told from Bilbrew’s point of view.
281 pages (with serious endnotes). Hundreds of pages of images—art you’ve never seen before. The rise of the first black career fetish artist in history—told visually.
Isn’t it time that Gene Bilbrew received a tribute book of his own? Well, it’s finally here: