Coco de Mer and Sotheby's Stage Exhibition That Celebrates Erotica

Following on from the successful first edition last year, on the 15th February, Coco de Mer and Sotheby’s will stage their second erotic auction - Passion & Desire.

Artists throughout history have been drawn to the human form. In the second edition of Sotheby’s Erotic: Passion & Desire sale, Pre-Columbian sculpture will be paired with Picasso works on paper; masters of photography from Man Ray to Rankin will be set against 19th century marbles and antique reliefs; Gustav Klimt’s sensual eroticism will jostle with Keith Vaughn’s unrestricted erotic fantasies; each work charting the history of the subject from antiquity to modern day.

The exhibition in Sotheby’s New Bond Street galleries, on public view from 7 – 15 February, takes viewers on an art historical journey.  Comprising 90 lots from Man Ray to Joè Descamps, Robert Mapplethorpe to Tracy Emin and many others with a combined pre-sale low estimate of £3.8 million, this year’s auction will be accompanied by an online sale, presenting an  even wider range across continents and centuries. Erotic Art Online will be open for bidding from 2 – 16 February and includes prints, photographs, paintings, sculpture, drawings, Asian works of art and film posters. 

This year, Coco de Mer introduces artist and fashion photographer Rankin, who is synonymous with portraiture, fashion and the depiction of popular culture: he is widely held to be one of the most renowned fashion and portrait photographers in the world. He's particularly well known for his work on the human form and three of his evocative portraits will appear in the auctions. These are: And God Created Eva II, 2003, Pin Me Up, 2012 and Stefani Reclining, 2016.