Since The Turkish Bath (1863) by the French painter Ingres, the Far Eastern woman has to many been a symbol of pleasures out of reach or forbidden. Seafaring explorers, military adventurers and simple travellers from Europe over the centuries have all been enthralled by the exotic nature of the oriental woman, her foreignness accentuated by the gentle pallor of her skin. Thus arose the myth that she, of all women, was in possession of the knowledge of certain refined pleasures. Historically, in the traditions of both China and Japan, women have been required to respond at least acquiescently to men’s …

The “happy-few” aspect of the sadomasochistic relations, the fashions that have had a great impact on the population, make these practices seem somewhat commonplace. A number of magazines and films recount these sexual adventures with complete honesty. The enthusiasts are no longer exceptions. Beyond the stereotypes of women in leather boots with a whip in hand, they discover the pleasures of pain. It is a form of sexuality where pleasure looses its codification since procreation is no longer the goal. Travelling towards the limits of emotions is the theme explored by Professor Döpp, supporting his developments on an exceptional iconography.

The poetess Sappho did not, in any way, facilitate the relationship between men and women, with her admirable Ode to Aphrodite which celebrates the love and sexuality between two women. With the liberalization of morals, female homosexuality is part of modern society and cannot be ignored. But what does history retain from these practices? How is the love between women appreciated? By infringing on the rules of past societies, how did these women live their particularity and their forbidden sexuality? This difficult exercise, undertaken by Professor Döpp, attempts to explain these censured pleasures, without inclining towards a certain voyeurism.

When asked about Picasso, towards the end of his life, what was the difference between art and eroticism, he replied meditatively and dreamily: “But there is no difference.” others feared eroticism, Picasso warned against the dangerous experiments of art: “Art is never chaste, it should be kept away from all innocent ignorant. People insufficiently prepared should never come into contact with him. Yes, art is dangerous. When he is chaste, he is no longer art. ”The notion of erotic art is surrounded by a halo of hypocritical, deceptive and dissimulating concepts: art or pornography, sex or eroticism, obscenity or originality, …

Since humans first began thinking creatively – as opposed to merely procreatively – about sex, men and women have spiced up their love lives with this and that. Every civilization has come up with its own sex objects and sex toys. From rudimentarily-fashioned objects to the most exquisite ivory carvings of the Far East, eroticism has found expression in a multitude of different forms all displayed here. The beauty and the craftsmanship of these artistic masterpieces bear striking witness to the powers of generation in every culture throughout history. From works of art to sex toys, historian Hans-Jürgen Döpp analyses …

Amsterdam rejoices in more than simply its famous canals and its celebrated collections of the works of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh. It has a museum dedicated to the Goddess of Love, which welcomes no fewer than 500,000 visitors a year. From all over the world people come in their thousands to this unusual establishment known as “The Temple of Venus”. First put on display together in 1985 by Monique van Marle and her father, this collection of erotic works is exceptional for the quality of the objects exhibited, its engravings and its photographs of yesteryear. Far from being a …

How is it that the foot and the toes are credited with such strong sexual connotations? Do they represent something out of the ordinary to the human subconscious? How otherwise could these unremarkable parts of the body seem erotic? And what has their appeal to do with the Eternal Mystery that is Woman? Often left uncovered, in former times when total nudity was forbidden or considered unseemly, the foot and its shape allowed the imaginations of observers to roam wild. The only part of the body of a woman occasionally visible (unlike those visible normally or those never visible normally), …

The climax to the act of love casts an indefinable expression on the face – an expression of urgent intensity. A woman, a man, in that moment experiences an ecstasy that for an instant is visible in the eyes and on the lips. A wave of pleasure runs through the body, marking the transition between desire and orgasm. For this fleeting second, when just how violent the senses can be is laid bare, the person involved is not the same as the person immediately before or the person immediately after. With the help of prints and etchings from former centuries, …

Lacan, the last owner of Courbet’s The Origin of the World, loved the painting so much that he couldn’t even bring himself to look at it. Instead, he hid it behind a “safer” painting. The Chinese called it the “valley of the roses” (watch out for the thorns!), the Persians, the “honey-pot” (watch out for the bees!), and the Greeks, “the mound of Venus” (mind the steep climb!); to each era its fantasies and its theories about the feminine mystique. Then there are the testimonies of poets, painters, and even of some famous psychiatrists. The Origin of the World is …