Andy Kozak was a vintage male nude model who made a name for himself in the mid-twentieth-century Hollywood art scene. He posed for several physique photographers on the American West Coast and used the money he earned from modeling to support his passion for art. Kozak’s art career included painting nude male physique models, landscapes, and wildlife.
Kozak was just 22 years old when he first posed naked for KoVert of Hollywood, a pioneering physique photographer, in 1944. He later worked with many other physique photographers and even sold his own nude photographs via mail order. Kozak’s work as a model and artist helped him earn a living, but it also left a lasting legacy in the worlds of physique photography and commercial art.
One of Kozak’s most notable achievements was designing the Kellogg’s Corn Flakes mascot, “Corny.” The famously anti-masturbation John Harvey Kellogg created the cereal to discourage people from masturbating. However, Kozak’s spank bank model was hired to design the mascot, which may have irked the elder Kellogg.
In an interview a few years ago, Kozak described his modeling work as merely a means of earning a living. However, his work as a vintage male nude model and artist continues to be celebrated by many. Kozak’s legacy is an important part of the history of both physique photography and commercial art.