Erotica Universalis


From the dawn of time, ever since Adam and Eve, all artists of every age—whether the Egyptian, Greek and Roman artists of Antiquity, or more recent famous names as Rembrandt, Courbet, Degas or Picasso—have succumbed to their fantasies, obsessions and libido, and produced erotic works that the censors have taken good care to keep from the public. For Erotica, we surface from the subterranean realms of the museums to enter those of our national and private libraries. Here we discover that not only most of our famous writers, such as Ovid, Aretino, Voltaire, Verlaine or Maupassant, wrote erotic texts that bordered on indecency, but also that great artists like Boucher, Fragonard, Dalí or Matisse were inspired to provide suitable illustrations for these naughty books. For this special anniversary edition, we have culled highlights from our Erotica Universalis collection. A banquet for the imagination and a feast of the eye!

The author:
Gilles Néret (1933–2005) was an art historian, journalist, writer and museum correspondent. He organized several art retrospectives in Japan and founded the SEIBU museum and the Wildenstein Gallery in Tokyo. He directed art reviews such as L'Œil and Connaissance des Arts and received the Elie Faure Prize in 1981 for his publications. His TASCHEN titles include Salvador Dalí: The Paintings, Matisse, and Erotica Universalis.

Erotica Universalis
TASCHEN 25

Erotica Universalis

Gilles Néret
Softcover, flaps, 5.5 x 7.7 in., 576 pages, $ 14.99
ISBN 978-3-8228-4102-0
Multilingual Edition: English, French, German
Availability: In Stock
  • Reviews
"Hvad giver man veninden, der har alt, inklusive masser af humor og en meget høj snerpetærskel? Her er to bud: The Rothenberg Collection: Forbidden Erotica. (...) Dem er tror at "franske postkort" er uskyldige, kan godt tro om. Det her er porno. Udført af mænd med cykelstyroverskæg og kvinder med portnerkonefrisure. Indimellem i kostumer og med forskellige "remedier"...Temmelig opfindsomt at bruge en velvoksen kopi af Eiffeltårnet på denne måde. Gav bogen til en veninde der holdt kvindemiddag. Den var en magnet på samtlige (himmelfaldne) kvinder hele aftenen. Erotica Universalis af Gilles Néret. En rejse i kunstens erotik fra antikken til nu. Eftersom den kun rummer - skønne - tegninger og malerier, er den 575 sider tykke bog lidt mindre kødfuld, og når emnet er kunst er alibiet for at købe den jo hjemme...Begge får selvfølgelig seks stjerner." Alt for damerne, København, Denmark
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