[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"] Michael Breyette, Russian Winter, 2012, pastel on pastel paper, 18.5 x 20 in. Courtesy of the artist.[/caption]

"Stroke: From Under the Mattress to the Museum Wall," an upcoming exhibit  at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in New York, explores the erotic aesthetic of gay-magazine art from the 1950s to the 1990s. Featured artists include Bob Mizer, Tom of Finland, Kevin King, James McMullan, and Mel Odom, among others.

Related: 1950s Beefcake Photographer Bob Mizer Is Finally Getting Some “Devotion”: PHOTOS

The exhibit is described as:

A historical retrospective of sexy and erotic illustrations ... This exhibition of a forgotten body of work not only explores the male form, but for the first time ever, offers an examination of gay male private life, as experienced through magazines which were available on nearly every street corner in America – but often kept under their mattresses for fear of being discovered.

Related: Inside “Tom Of Finland” At The Museum Of Contemporary Art: WATCH

"Many of the early magazines pretended to be bodybuilding, strength and health journals," curator Robert W. Richards told  Huffington Post. "Sometimes they were called 'anatomy guides for artists.' However, most of the men bought these magazines because they were gay. It was nearly their only opportunity to see handsome, well-made, virtually naked men."

"Stroke" will be on view from March 28 to May 25. View art from the exhibit, below.

[caption id="attachment_141258" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Touko Laaksonen (Tom of Finland). Biker Fuck, 1965, Pencil on paper, 8.25 x 11.5 in. Leonard Paoletti Collection.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"] Richard Rosenfeld, Untitled, 1982, Color pencil on paper, 18.75 x 24 in.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_141260" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Michael Kirwan, Car Park, 1999, Watercolor marker with ink on paper, 14 x 11. Collection of Leslie Lohman Museum.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"] Neal Bate (Blade), Untitled, 1976, Ink on paper, 8 x 7.25 in. Collection of Leslie Lohman Museum.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"] Benôit Prévot, John Roses, 2013, Ink and pencil on paper, 11.5 x 8.5 in. Courtesy of the artist.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"] Mel Odom, Untitled, 1992, Pencil on vellum, 14 x 11 in. Collection of Leslie Lohman Museum.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"] James McMullan, Untitled, n.d., Pencil and ink on paper, 6.75 x 8 in.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"] Kevin King (Beau), Pinned, 1997, Acrylic on paper. Collection Leslie-Lohman Museum, Founders’ gift.[/caption]