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Erotica Universalis: From Pompeii to Picasso
Wonderfully indecent pictures from famous scribblers and anonymous talents alike (TASCHEN's 25th anniversary special edition) 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, Dal? or Matisse were inspired to provide suitable illustrations for these naughty books. Special anniversary edition of highlights from our Erotica Universalis collection!
576 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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692 people want to read
About the author
Gilles Néret
129 books49 followersGilles Néret (1933 - August 3, 2005) was a French art critic and historian, journalist and curator. He wrote extensively on the history of erotica.
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’Oeil and Connaissance des Arts and received the Elie Faure Prize in 1981 for his publications. Since 1992, Néret was an editor for Taschen, for which he has written catalogues raisonnés of the works of Klimt and others, as well as the author of Erotica Universalis.
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’Oeil and Connaissance des Arts and received the Elie Faure Prize in 1981 for his publications. Since 1992, Néret was an editor for Taschen, for which he has written catalogues raisonnés of the works of Klimt and others, as well as the author of Erotica Universalis.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
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July 25, 2021i wish this book had more text (and more updated text for that matter) and was expanded into a more complete collection as i felt it was not universal in anyway- it had mostly phalic representations and depictions, like a compendium of the male gaze in sex, and was very white and straight.
overall it needed more queerness, more diversity in general, and less eurocentrism in my opinion.
still, there’s something so important about this book which is the way it shows that sexuality and sexual content have always been a part of humanity’s state of being and should not be discarded as less important or valuable when, clearly, there’s still so much to learn about our history and ourselves.
overall it needed more queerness, more diversity in general, and less eurocentrism in my opinion.
still, there’s something so important about this book which is the way it shows that sexuality and sexual content have always been a part of humanity’s state of being and should not be discarded as less important or valuable when, clearly, there’s still so much to learn about our history and ourselves.
August 6, 2017
"Erotica Universalis" is a real page turner. It's filled with graphic depictions of how many great artists have depicted sex throughout the years. It's always interesting to see a fresh point of view, and this book is full of them. One idea is a constant - they all love sex. This book's deliciously salacious!
February 14, 2024
10/10 i’m wet
July 7, 2015
Probably the most hilarious book I've ever gotten my hands on. Makes me laugh no matter how bad I feel. :-D
January 31, 2013
An interesting look into the more naughty creations of some of the masters of classical art, but all that was drowned into a mass of ugly and bad "art" by much less known artists. Four stars for classical artists, one for all the others.
March 24, 2012
un album de pictura erotica. de la egiptul antic pana in sec. xx.
antologatorii au facut treaba destul de buna. unele lucrari incluse aici sunt clasice ale genului.
mie mi-au placut cel m tare sectiunea de jugendstil si expresionistii, unde i-am regasit pe favoritii mei, klimt si schiele.
la restul m-am uitat asa, mai mult din curiozitate, si m-am cam plicti (desi unele kestiute erau interesante).
dar pentru amatori, recomand pascal quignard, noaptea sexuala.
antologatorii au facut treaba destul de buna. unele lucrari incluse aici sunt clasice ale genului.
mie mi-au placut cel m tare sectiunea de jugendstil si expresionistii, unde i-am regasit pe favoritii mei, klimt si schiele.
la restul m-am uitat asa, mai mult din curiozitate, si m-am cam plicti (desi unele kestiute erau interesante).
dar pentru amatori, recomand pascal quignard, noaptea sexuala.
January 3, 2014
A selection of erotic drawing from the cave-dwelling society to the present day.
Celebrated and unknown artists over the centuries have sung the praises of love in all its guises in their quest for eternal, imperishable beauty. Have they succeeded? Have a browse through this delightful book and judge for yourself.
Celebrated and unknown artists over the centuries have sung the praises of love in all its guises in their quest for eternal, imperishable beauty. Have they succeeded? Have a browse through this delightful book and judge for yourself.
December 20, 2015
An interesting and idea provoking compilation of erotic visual images. I am looking for the threads of sexuality which have been largely repressed from their place of soul-priority and thus pop up from the shadows where they were cast in violence and fear. This volume is a great addition to my library of sexuality texts.
September 2, 2017
Hermoso libro. Bastante "anárquico" pues encontraremos a grandes maestros del arte como Dalí o Picasso junto a tipos que hacen comic como R. Crumb. Creo que el gran ausente es el arte erótico asiático. También hubiese querido un poquito más de información sobres las obras expuestas.
January 10, 2008
A nice pictoral of the history of sex
November 15, 2012
Una maravilla gráfica.
Recomendado para santos, beatas y muy útil para la corrupción de puritanos.
Recomendado para santos, beatas y muy útil para la corrupción de puritanos.
October 30, 2014
Sex sex sex everywhere.
June 29, 2015
NO ES PORNO MAMÀ ES ARTE
September 1, 2025
Presented as a collection of erotic art in paintings, illustrations, sculpture, and other media, and ambitiously labeled universalis, this volume takes the reader from the rock drawings of Ti-n-Lalan (c. 5000 BC) to contemporary works.
The subtitle From Pompeii to Picasso is poorly chosen: Egyptian and Greek pieces are touched upon which is far older than Pompeii, while more than 100 pages are devoted to works created after Picasso.
Each artwork included has its own interest and makes it clear that sexuality, and practices often assumed to be modern inventions, were already present in earlier times. The selection depicts male and female genitalia, represented according to the aesthetic ideals and cultural values of each era; it also portrays diverse sexual acts, some of which may disturb some sensibilities, such as those involving religion (often provocatively or even disrespectfully, as a deliberate challenge to the prevailing morality) or even animals — and not only in mythological contexts. It is also striking to see that interest in fetishism, S/M (long before the infamous Marquis), and bondage goes back much further than expected, as do the acrobatic positions later codified by different cultures.
Yet here lies one of the book’s greatest weaknesses: its narrow cultural scope. Despite the promise of universality, nearly all the material comes from Europe between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, with particular emphasis on the libertine period and the French Revolution. A more accurate title would have been Erotica Europaea.
Another issue is the repetition. Many pages reproduce lengthy sequences from a single book or satirical series, which creates two problems: the limitation of styles and sources within a 560-page volume, and the unclear purpose of the compilation. Over a hundred of these images are outright caricatures, intended to mock institutions such as the Church or the Army, or to lampoon individuals. These works contain nothing erotic at all; they neither aim to stimulate desire nor to portray beauty. If the book’s goal is to explore erotic art, such inclusions are questionable; if the goal is merely to catalog sexual organs, then its scope is remarkably thin.
The omissions are even more shocking: not a single piece from China, none of India’s rich erotic sculpture (such as Khajuraho), nothing from Japan’s abundant Edo-period erotic art, nor from Thrace, Thailand, or Minoan culture. Astonishingly, even the Kama Sutra is absent.
The book would also strongly benefit from more commentary on each work or series, encouraging readers to delve deeper into the pieces presented.
In conclusion: as a universal collection of erotic art, this book is disappointing and its title misleading. Yet as an anthology of mostly European representations of sexual organs, whether erotic or satirical, it remains, nonetheless, a interesting volume.
The subtitle From Pompeii to Picasso is poorly chosen: Egyptian and Greek pieces are touched upon which is far older than Pompeii, while more than 100 pages are devoted to works created after Picasso.
Each artwork included has its own interest and makes it clear that sexuality, and practices often assumed to be modern inventions, were already present in earlier times. The selection depicts male and female genitalia, represented according to the aesthetic ideals and cultural values of each era; it also portrays diverse sexual acts, some of which may disturb some sensibilities, such as those involving religion (often provocatively or even disrespectfully, as a deliberate challenge to the prevailing morality) or even animals — and not only in mythological contexts. It is also striking to see that interest in fetishism, S/M (long before the infamous Marquis), and bondage goes back much further than expected, as do the acrobatic positions later codified by different cultures.
Yet here lies one of the book’s greatest weaknesses: its narrow cultural scope. Despite the promise of universality, nearly all the material comes from Europe between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, with particular emphasis on the libertine period and the French Revolution. A more accurate title would have been Erotica Europaea.
Another issue is the repetition. Many pages reproduce lengthy sequences from a single book or satirical series, which creates two problems: the limitation of styles and sources within a 560-page volume, and the unclear purpose of the compilation. Over a hundred of these images are outright caricatures, intended to mock institutions such as the Church or the Army, or to lampoon individuals. These works contain nothing erotic at all; they neither aim to stimulate desire nor to portray beauty. If the book’s goal is to explore erotic art, such inclusions are questionable; if the goal is merely to catalog sexual organs, then its scope is remarkably thin.
The omissions are even more shocking: not a single piece from China, none of India’s rich erotic sculpture (such as Khajuraho), nothing from Japan’s abundant Edo-period erotic art, nor from Thrace, Thailand, or Minoan culture. Astonishingly, even the Kama Sutra is absent.
The book would also strongly benefit from more commentary on each work or series, encouraging readers to delve deeper into the pieces presented.
In conclusion: as a universal collection of erotic art, this book is disappointing and its title misleading. Yet as an anthology of mostly European representations of sexual organs, whether erotic or satirical, it remains, nonetheless, a interesting volume.
December 5, 2021
What a treat of a book! One of the things I love about TASCHEN is how they let the pictures speak for themselves, how they let the art tell its story, and EROTIC UNIVERSALIS is definitely no exception. This book is a tasteful and revealing exploration of erotica, smut, and sex across the ages from cavemen dwellings to Greece, Rome, and the Middle Ages, through many time periods from the Classical to the Romantic, New Age, and Modern Day, from the realistic to the mythical, spiritual, and otherworldly. A single paragraph blurb sums up every section succinctly with one-sentence annotations that explain the painting/portrait/illustration's title, era, and author. Again, though, while the words are lovely and wonderful and are just as fun to read, it's the pictures that are the star here. Some are erotic and horny as hell, some are edgy and unreal, and some are just plain funny. If you're a fan of historical smut, art erotica, and also of literature, anthropology, and the humanities, you'll fall in love with this book, it has it all, and not to mention, it's just one gorgeous hardcover book that you'd be proud to have and even show off on your coffee table as an erotica connoisseur.
April 19, 2022
Fascinating book. I don’t know too much on the subject of sec or art in general. But seeing how art and sex play a role in society and politics is amusing. The art is vulgar yet brilliant. And many of these paintings or drawings are done by some of the most famous artist known to people.
I loved the book, I think sex is human nature, nothing wrong with reading and look at images that represent life, women, men, sex, and maybe love.
It’s just a good book to look at and maybe laugh, or make your eyes go wide.
I loved the book, I think sex is human nature, nothing wrong with reading and look at images that represent life, women, men, sex, and maybe love.
It’s just a good book to look at and maybe laugh, or make your eyes go wide.
August 8, 2018
Eu vi esse livro numa livraria física e achei lindo demais, fiquei tão distraído pela beleza dele que não me atentei a detalhes do tipo "será que há bons textos nele?!", e exatamente esse o problema: não há quase texto nenhum e o que tem é super "comum" o que é um tanto estranho em livros da taschen... Enfim, é um bom enfeite de estante.
June 1, 2023
Sometimes hilarious, sometimes awful; sometimes interesting, sometimes just gross.
It was mostly either men with women, or, *gags*, people with animals... Sooo, no variety.
Thankfully, Erotica Universalis is a real page turner. More text descriptions and analyses would have been much appreciated. 3*
It was mostly either men with women, or, *gags*, people with animals... Sooo, no variety.
Thankfully, Erotica Universalis is a real page turner. More text descriptions and analyses would have been much appreciated. 3*
March 6, 2024
Interesante ilustraciones, dibujos y grabados sobre el erotismo. En linea temporal desde los egipcios, pasando por los griegos, edad media, romántica, moderna, entre otros.
Me paso que algunas ilustraciones no son "eróticas" si no que son explícitamente abuso y tortura y no hablar algunas con animales.
Se entiende que son recopilaciones de la historia pero aun así me incomodo bastante.
Me paso que algunas ilustraciones no son "eróticas" si no que son explícitamente abuso y tortura y no hablar algunas con animales.
Se entiende que son recopilaciones de la historia pero aun así me incomodo bastante.
March 10, 2018
Gilles Neret will take you to see the erotic visual either paintings or pictures from the antiquity to the modern days. I pretty much enjoy the book. Yrt it would be better if Neret could provide more information and explanation on each period of tine.
November 22, 2020
Al di là delle scontatissime illustrazioni dell'Aretino o del Gamiani, spesso tanto trasgressive quanto artisticamente insulse, è stata una sorpresa scoprire che anche gente insospettabile come Michelangelo, Rembrandt od i Carracci hanno fatto le loro brave maialate... :-)
September 30, 2024
As some people have already said, this book is great, but not quite "universal". There's a disappointing lack of queerness and ethnic diversity. I wish it wasn't so straight, male gaze-y and eurocentric. However, it's an interesting look on the intrinsic human desires, both sexual and artistic
November 15, 2019
If you like neolithic old-timey smut, this is a perfect coffee table book.
December 19, 2020
What can I say? I'm a pervert.
October 11, 2021
For the anthropologically curious, a tremendous source of cultural insight despite the scant text. For the prig, a shocking set of historical erotica.
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December 20, 2021my return to Reading™ obviously had to be with erotica
April 30, 2022
Mehr erklärender Text und weniger Bilder wäre super
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February 15, 2023EARLY 6th BCE
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November 11, 2024Hands down the most awesome art book I own
September 21, 2017
A visual book on art's beautiful take on sex, erotica, gang-bangs, and BDSM throughout the different artistic eras. Beautiful.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews