When I read Willy Volk’s post about the erotic images of Khajuraho in India, it got me thinking about erotic art and where to find it. Not that I’m planning on taking a world tour or anything, but it’s interesting to see how various cultures display erotica in museums and the place erotica has had in the arts throughout history. There are several places to visit where the aim is not to titillate specifically, but learn more about the human response to sexuality, beauty and, yes, of course, sex.
One place I came across is the Erotic Art Museum in Hamburg, Germany. I remember Hamburg to be more of an industrial looking place built back up after World War II. The museum looks as if the exhibits are superb. The website is entirely in German, but you can get an idea of what’s there. In one of the small photos across the top, it looks like they’ve acquired one of the wooden penises from that Japanese Penis Festival–or perhaps from the time of the Trojans? Just kidding about that. I would like to know what the origins are, though. If you click through the website you’ll find the virtual gallery that has larger images. Informative and slick.
For some odd reason, there is a cartoon figure of Santa Claus on the museum’s homepage. Since I can’t read German, I have no idea what that’s about. Is there secret side to Santa? Here’s a link to a rundown of erotic art museums in Europe.