Erotica Universalis

　　The art of pleasure.  An erotic history of humanity
 
　　From the dawn of time, ever since Adam and Eve, all artists of every age — whether the Egyptian, Greek, or 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 Universalis, 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, Dali, or Matisse were inspired to provide suitable illustrations for these naughty books. For this new hardcover edition, we have culled highlights from our Erotica Universaliscollection. A banquet for the imagination and a feast of the eye!
 

作者簡介

　　Gilles Neret (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'CEil and Connaissance des Arts and received the Elie Faure Prize in 1981 for his publications. His TASCHEN titles include Salvador Dali: The Paintings, Matisse, and Erotica Universalis.