During the late fifties and early sixties a cinematic genre was established through the genius of casting real life bodybuilders in the roles of figures from Greco Roman mythology. The most famous of all these bodybuilders was Steve Reeves whose first excursion into the realm of Zeus made him an an international star. The film was "Le Fatiche di Ercole" (1958). When it was released stateside as "Hercules", the film caused a sensation at the box-office and the Peplum or sword and sandal films were now in vogue.

Beefcake Babylon includes original movie posters and memorabilia from from all over the world, a large collection of stills of the men who played Hercules during the height of sword and sandal craze, and provocative “classic physique” photographs of these musclemen at their peak as professional bodybuilders, long before the siren of the movies beckoned.

The Del Valle Archives and Drkrm Gallery invite you to explore these cinematic worlds of ancient mythology where buff, powerful men in loincloths courageously battled the Gods. We have chosen these images for their eroticism and beauty from the most noteworthy films which deserve reappraisal in this overlooked genre.