Favorite Erotic Art Volume I

BY: Ines Valencia

Favorite Erotic Art is a three-part series that will gather some of our favorite erotic artists and works.

This first list brings together quite a diverse group of artists, some of which are incredibly well-known and others waiting to be discovered by you! 

MARILYN MINTER

American multimedia artist Marilyn Minter, born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1948, is one of the most revolutionary artists of our time. Her photo-realistic paintings, videos, and photographs, which usually are on the cusp between figuration and abstraction, express feminism, pleasure, voyeurism, and beauty by exploring popular culture and the female body.

 

KERRY JAMES MARSHALL, NUDE (SPOTLIGHT), 2009

Painter and printmaker Kerry James Marshall (b.1955, Birmingham, AL) is renowned for his striking portraits of Black subjects. Due to his extraordinary work, which challenges Western art history and portrays subjects that have been traditionally marginalized in Western art, he is recognized as one of the leading artists of our time. His works depict many different topics, such as scenes of the daily life of Black Americans, critical historical activists, or more provocative scenes, such as the one in Nude (Spotlight).

 

HANNAH WILKE

Pioneering feminist conceptual artist Hannah Wilke (1940-1993) worked in sculpture, drawing, assemblage, photography, performance, video, and installation. In the early 1970s, she focused on her “labial” wall hangings, where she attached little folded vulva-shaped pieces (or “one-fold gestural sculptures,” as she called them) to her works. Wilke stated: “My folded clay pieces are like little pieces of nature, a new species. They exist the way sea shells exist.”

 

JEFF KOONS (MADE IN HEAVEN)

Jeff Koons’ 1989 series Made In Heaven began with a photoshoot with Italian pornstar-turned-politician Cicciolina, Ilona Staller. The series includes an enormous poster of Koons and Cicciolina and glass sculptures of the couple having sex. This was a genuinely revolutionary moment, as the series attempted to blur the line between pornography and art. Koons even ended up marrying Cicciolina, even though they did not speak the same language.

 

ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE

The forever controversial photographer Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989) could not be left off this list. The photographer known for his provocative and extremely brave photographs of flowers, celebrities, and male nudes was harshly criticized throughout his entire career for the daring subject matters he chose.

 

SALVADOR DALÍ

One of the biggest names in art history had to make an appearance on this list. Surrealist master Salvador Dalí was known to be adventurous with his craft, and that included constantly being a step ahead of what was considered socially acceptable during his time. Inspired by his surroundings, fellow artists, and old masters, Dalí created many provocative pieces throughout his life and career.

 

CHRISTIAN SCHAD

Christian Schad (1894-1982) was a German painter and photographer associated with the Dada and New Objectivity movements. He was a master at capturing the life and sexual freedoms of 1920s German society in his portraits.

 

MAN RAY

Another Dada master, Man Ray (1890-1976), considered himself a painter, although his practice was highly diverse and included photography, collage, and sculpture. Through photography, he captured the life and activities of his famous avant-garde friends, and he also became a renowned fashion photographer.

 

ERIC FISCHL

American painter and sculptor Eric Fischl (b. 1948) is one of the most influential artists of our time. He is known primarily for his figurative paintings depicting suburban life in America. Common themes found in his earlier works include voyeurism or adolescent sexuality.

 

PABLO PICASSO

Like Dalí, Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) also created several explicit works, mostly in his early years. He would usually depict himself in the company of prostitutes or showgirls. Erotic Scene (La Douceur) was painted in 1903, and in his later years Picasso denied he had ever painted it.

 

ISTVÁN SANDORFI

István Sandorfi (1948-2007) was an artistic genius who deserved more recognition than he got during his life. His incredible photo-realistic paintings have the power to transport the viewer to a different world and into his complicated mind.

 

ANDY WARHOL

Last but not least is the king of Pop Art, whose main goal was always to provoke. He created his Sex Parts and Torsos series, consisting of highly graphic Polaroids and paintings, in the mid to late 1970s, blurring the line between art and pornography.