Erotica Universalis: From Pompeii to Picasso (Taschen 25) [Paperback]

Gilles Neret (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 2005 | Series: Taschen 25

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!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gilles Neret is an art historian, journalist, writer, and museum correspondent. He has organized several art retrospectives in Japan and founded the SEIBU museum and the Wildenstein Gallery in Tokyo. He has directed art reviews such as L'Oeil and Connaisance des Arts and received the Elie Faure Prize in 1981 for his publications. He is the editor of TASCHEN'S catalogues raisonnes of the works of Monet and Velazquez, as well as the author of Dali Painted Works.

Product Details

• Paperback: 575 pages
• Publisher: Taschen; Anniversary edition (July 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822841021
• ISBN-13: 978-3822841020
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #430,155 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #90 in Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media > Erotic

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars BEWARE! a little deceptive, February 23, 2006

By 

DeManda "DeManda" (Stonington, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Erotica Universalis (Amuses Gueules) (Paperback)

Anyone who is familiar with and looking for the larger approx. 6" x 5" x 2" tome (like I was) and is not aware that a smaller abridged version exists, is going to be sorely disappointed! Even though the Amazon description says "756 pages, 719 illustrations" IT DOES NOT CONTAIN NEARLY THAT!! That is the description of the derivative material that appears in the back of this TINY (32 pages, 4" x 3 1/4" x 1/4") booklet! It would seem that since there is no traditional frontspiece with publisher's info for this booklet, and careless listings allow this derivative bibliography to stand for what this book has- and that is INACCURATE. It is charming as a small "amusement", but use caution before ordering to make sure you are getting what you are seeking.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Inexpensive visual anthology of erotic art, August 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Erotica Universalis, Volume II (Paperback)

EROTICA UNIVERSALIS I and EROTICA UNIVERSALIS II by art historian Gilles Neret offers a visual survey of centuries of erotic illustration. Each volume is a museum of sexual explicit images as conceived by some of the best known and otherwise unknown illustrators of  viewable penetration. The first volume of EROTICA UNIVERSALIS I gathered together a wonderfully in-depth selection of the erotica that has thrived in a parallel art world. It starts with ancient Greek and Roman, but is mostly devoted to painting and drawing of the last few centuries. There are about 750 images. Each illustration is given a full page and many are accompanied by a brief but revealing summary of the original text. Now the companion volume, EROTICA UNIVERSALIS II, documents the rich history of erotic art created as book illustration. Tucked away in every important national library and countless private libraries are the restricted or banned books to which the public has limited access. Gilles Neret has assembled a remarkable collection of artwork created by artists like Rembrandt, Boucher, Fragonard, Dali, Picasso and Matisse to accompany the writings of such literary giants as Ovid, Voltaire, Verlaine, and de Maupassant. Equally compelling are the astonishing contributions of lesser-known but prodigiously talented artists expressing the arousing variety of human sexual expression.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, September 10, 2004

By 

Fernando "SVAX" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Erotica Universalis (Amuses Gueules) (Paperback)

I thougt the book was the big one, the pictures show an index and it indexes more than 700 pages. But the one I received was shorter than my hand, and only contains a few pics from the big book.

There should be some warning that this is not the hardcover book. That's why I'm disappointed.