This is a collection of my favorite controversial videos and award-winning films, both American and foreign films. I do not own these movies, so if you have any copyright issues, let me know and I will be glad to delete it in this blog. If you like this blog, please feel free to share it with your friends and perhaps you can buy me a cup of coffee.
I
was searching for old critically acclaimed movies that I have not seen
before just recently. I discovered this 1990 film featured in my Starz
Channel. I found it very entertaining and worth my time. Here's what
Wikipedia says and a review by Roger Ebert.
Review by Roger Ebert: This
is an artistic and visually bold film about the life of a gay talented
poet and writer in the time of the Cuban Revolution. Javier Bardem is
excellent as poet Reinaldo Arenas, a peasant child who becomes one of
Cuba's great writers. The film takes us from the first days of the Cuban
revolution to the dark days of totalitarian repression of all sexuality
and creativity that is not condoned by the state.
This is an
excellent film, visually compelling with a narrative flow that is not
smooth or consistent, but totally engaging all the same. The film
artfully and entertainingly deals with the concept of whether and how
the work of the artist and the actual life of the artist and then the
later artistic depiction of the life of the artist are integrated.
Schnabel does an excellent job of taking on this challenge, revealing
the passages in the life of the artist that impact his work. Reinaldo
Arenas made art from his life experiences but was able to maintain a
surreal and absurdist aspect to the writing.
Schnabel does this
perfectly with his short collage like film-making, that is almost dream
like with its entrances and exits of characters with little introduction
or resolution. At first I thought this was a weakness of the film. Why
were so many handsome men coming into Arenas' life and then leaving his
life? Why were so many artists and writers his friends and allies and
then they disappear?
The more I thought about the film the more it
became evident to me that this is the nature of both homosexuality and
homosexual relationships as well as the voice of dissident artists in a
repressive totalitarian dictatorship. This is terror indeed if we are
afraid to know the names of our lovers or of our fellow sympathizers for
fear that we will be turned in by them or forced to reveal their names.
In the end the film is a great achievement in the ability to depict repression and the human forces that resist it.
I have visited only two-the one in Las Vegas(#1) and the one in Manhattan,New York (#3). Those visits had occurred several years ago during my younger and curious years while residing here in the US.
Expand your sexual knowledge by taking a trip to any of these world renowned museums solely and exclusively dedicated to sex.
You
may relate museums to grand spaces full of art and history, home to the
academic and the touristy, but the truth is that these places can be a
lot more unorthodox than you can imagine, especially if the main subject
of attraction in theses galleries turns out to be sex. Yes,
your next holiday trip can be full of as much sexual history,
artifacts, imagery and even toys as you never thought possible by
visiting any of the 10 best erotic museums of the world.
From
giant penis formations in Reykjavik to Virtual Reality experiences in
Manhattan, and whether you visit them out of curiosity, a few laughs, or
even to get some ideas to take home to your partner, you can’t deny
that these end up being some of the most interesting experiences to tell
everyone about back home. These museums are here to satisfy your thirst
for the new and the weird, so don’t think twice about it and check out
these sweet spots.
We
can’t really start a sexual history tour without first stopping in Las
Vegas, can we? Sin City is home to one of the richest and most
interesting sex museums in the world, with the Erotic Heritage Museum
housing up to 1500 years on the history of sex, pleasure and
contraception.
Yes, it may
be all about sex, but you’ll notice that this place really did its job
when it comes to documenting, archiving and exposing the sexual
practices of everything and everyone around the world, from the citizens
of Pompeii to the heads of the Third Reich, proving once more how sex
is an instrument of power. You’ll leave this place feeling educated,
empowered in your knowledge, and certainly a bit turned on.
Next
stop, Amsterdam. As one of the most liberal cities in the world thanks
to its legalized prostitution and drug use, sex museums are, of course, a
must
in your tour when visiting the Netherlands. Heralding the city’s long
history of sexual practices is the aptly named Venustemple, or the
Temple of Venus, which houses a truly impressive variety of pictures,
sculptures, life-sized models, and imagery, with entire walls covered in
pornographic illustrations and explicit works of art that appeal to
more than just the imagination.
Here,
you can find a real sized model of Marilyn Monroe in the middle of one
of her sexiest and most memorable scenes, walk through an entire hall
dedicated to the Marquis de Sade, or explore Cleopatra’s legendary
shenanigans with the Roman army. So, once you’re done checking out
Amsterdams most iconic and historic sights and want to take a look at
something a bit more unconventional, consider booking a visit to this
temple.
Anyone
who tells you New York isn’t one of the sexiest cities in the world is
an outright liar, and if you’re looking to prove them wrong, just book
them a visit to MoSex, Manhattan’s very own sex museum, where you can go
if you’re feeling up for some impressive sexual history or for some
truly fun exhibits.
In true
New York fashion, this museum houses an equal amount of some of the
world’s most important artistic contributions, such as paintings by
Picasso and Bill Bernstein’s iconic photographs, and the most state of
the art sensory exhibitions, like an interactive virtual reality session
were you end up being more than just a passive observant.
This
Reykjavik based museum is the Promised Land for all those with a
phallic fixation, with a collection of over 280 penises and male genital
parts exposed for your viewing pleasure.
This
family owned museum was founded in 1997 and has since become the most
extensive assortment of penile parts in the world, mainly from all sorts
of animal species and even some allegedly belonging to fairytale
creatures, so keep in mind before stepping in that you’re in for a
mostly educational experience that answers to both the academic and the
curious.
This
museum is placed in the heart of Barcelona, one of Europe’s most
culturally rich cities, and this exquisite place is nothing but a
reflection of that. Focusing more in the importance and influence of sex
throughout history, from Greece and Rome to the early 20th
century, a tour through this museum is an interesting and spicy
complement to the amazing cocktail of art and culture you’ll get when
walking around this city.
Combining
archeology, literature and anthropology to get a wonderfully complete
picture of eroticism, this building is filled with over 800 pieces of
sexual history that cover ancient Asia and Europe, all displayed in
sensuous exhibits that stimulate both academic and aesthetic purposes.
If
you find yourself in Hamburg looking for good sights, and even maybe a
few drinks along the way, then the Erotic Art Museum is for you. This
establishment feels less like a museum and more like a very chill, very
chic bar gallery, except for, you know, all the porn and sex toys
littering every surface.
This
particular museum leans more towards modern art and erotic photography
than sex history and documentation, making it a niche spot for artists,
exhibits, and local cultural gatherings where you can feel the artistic
influence of the city gathering in one very sensual place.
Miami
owns its rightful place as one of the most fun and attractive cities in
the world, but what makes it even better is that it is home to its very
own erotic museum, where you can find some of the finest pieces of
erotic art, photography and sculpture, all impeccably displayed.
What
is most seductive about this museum has to be how it portrays sex as an
important artistic influence across cultures form all over the world,
be it Hindi, African, or Chinese, showcasing each piece in its own light
and giving you the chance to appreciate sex in a whole new point of
view.
Think
of a medieval carnival that meets a modern day sex shop and you have
the Sex Machines Museum of Prague, where you can walk through entire
halls and rooms of the most imaginative sex toys of known history.
If you ever thought that the sexual lives of 19th
century dwellers must have been boring, you’re going to have to think
again when you take a look at their voyeuristic chamber pots and steam
powered vibrators, which are displayed along with innumerable other sex
tools presented in their 300 exhibits.
Wax
will always have a special place among the kinkiest sexual practices,
and one proof of that is this Hungarian erotic museum entirely dedicated
to medieval themed wax figures caught in the most compromising of
positions.
More of a
testament to wax sculpting skills than to sexual history in itself,
you’ll be fascinated by the realness of these figures, from the texture
of their skin to the looks of their genitals. As all figures are donned
in Renaissance costumes, you’ll feel like you just walked into a 14th century orgy in the heart of Italy.
Located
in the heart of the Red Light District, we take you back to Amsterdam
and into this ode to the legacy of sex throughout this city. A three
story building dedicated to the history of sex, pornography and
prostitution, the Erotic Museum of Amsterdam gathers a wide collection
of wax figures, imagery and even an interesting set of lithographs of
John Lennon as you’ve never seen him before.
This
entire museum shows you a particular view from inside of one the most
sex centric cities in the world, and the best part is that it even
counts with a souvenir shop if want to take a piece of this particular
part of Amsterdam home.
Throughout history artists have created erotic art. Defining erotic art
is difficult since perceptions of both what is erotic and what is art
fluctuate. A sculpture of a phallus in some African cultures may be
considered a traditional symbol of potency though not overtly erotic. In
addition, a distinction is often made between erotic art and
pornography (which also depicts scenes of love-making and is intended to
evoke erotic arousal, but is not usually considered art). The
distinction may lie in intent and message; erotic art would be items
intended as pieces of art, encapturing formal elements of art, and
drawing on other historical artworks. Pornography may also use these
tools, but is primarily intended to arouse one sexually. Nevertheless,
these elements of distinction are highly subjective.
1. Gustave Courbet ‘The Origin of the World’
Thank God ‘Brazilians’ weren’t common in the 19th century! This is by
far the most graphic erotic painting ever created. Gustave Courbet’s
painting ‘The Origin of the World’ hangs on the wall of the The Musée
Orsay in Paris. It is a painting that portrays a woman’s thighs, torso,
and, at the centre of attention, her unshaven genitals. The Orsay
website celebrate this masterpiece of Art, and describe it as; “Courbet
regularly painted female nudes, sometimes in a frankly libertine vein.
But in The Origin of the World he went to lengths of daring and
frankness which gave his painting its peculiar fascination. The almost
anatomical description of female sex organs is not attenuated by any
historical or literary device.” This painting was in no doubt privately
commissioned by a specialist collector and is by far one of the most
graphic depictions of the female anatomy ever painted.
2. Spring Pictures or Japanese Shunga Art
This is one I discovered at the British Museum in the Shunga
exhibition ‘Spring pictures’ or shunga, art was produced in Japan
between 1600-1900. This sexually explicit work is often tender, funny,
beautiful and undoubtedly accomplished. Shunga art was produced by some
of the masters of Japanese art, including Utamaro and Hokusai. Shunga
were mostly produced within the popular school known as ‘pictures of the
floating world’ (ukiyo-e), by celebrated artists such as Hishikawa
Moronobu (died 1694), Kitagawa Utamaro (died 1806) and Katsushika
Hokusai (1760-1849). Earlier, medieval narrative art in Japan had
already mixed themes of sex and humour. Luxurious shunga paintings were
also produced for ruling class patrons by traditional artists such as
members of the Kano school, sometimes influenced by Chinese examples.
This was very different from the situation in contemporary Europe, where
religious bans and prevailing morality enforced an absolute division
between ‘art’ and ‘pornography’. This piece explores bestiality as only
the Japanese can imagine.
4. The Embrace by Egon Schiele
I love the tenderness and passion that Egon Schiele portrayed. This
painting is one of the most outstanding of the Vienna Secessionist
period. While still studying art in Vienna, Schiele rapidly developed
his own, unmistakeable language of form. Starting out from Art Nouveau,
he combined ornamental structure with a fractured line and expressive
colouring. Egon Schiele was born in Tulln in 1890 and grew up in humble
conditions. Despite the protests of his uncle and guardian, Leopold
Czihaczek, Schiele took the demanding entrance exam at the Vienna
Academy of Fine Arts in 1906. However, he dropped out after only three
years, due to fierce controversies with his professor, Christian
Griepenkerl, who was opposed to all innovation in the visual arts. In
1909, Schiele founded the New Art Group together with such young artist
friends as Anton Faistauer and Franz Wiegele. That same year, the group
first presented itself at the Vienna Salon Pisko, but, after several
exhibitions that were to follow, remained only loosely connected.
5. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec “In Bed, the Kiss”
This is so tender and beautiful! Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (24
November 1864 – 9 September 1901) was a French painter, printmaker,
draftsman, and illustrator, whose immersion in the decadent and
theatrical life of fin de siecle Paris yielded an oeuvre of provocative
images of modern life. This picture depicts two women having some
downtime after a long night at the brothel.
6. Paul Gauguin Spirit of the Dead Watching
Erotic and exotic! Paul Gauguin, renowned for his paintings of exotic
idylls and Polynesian beauties, was a sadist who battered his wife,
exploited his friends and lied to the world about the erotic Eden he
claimed to have discovered on the South Sea island of Tahiti. This is
not to say that he didn’t paint an exquisite and sensual diary of his
exploits that remains a lasting legacy of his artistic output.
7. Duncan Grant – The Bathers
Beautiful graphic sensibility and sensual movement. This was painted
in the summer of 1911 as part of a decorative scheme for the dining room
at the Borough Polytechnic, at the Elephant and Castle, London. The
theme of the room’s decoration was ‘London on Holiday’, and Grant
responded by painting this idealised panorama of seven male nudes
bathing. The nudes also represented the continuous movement of a single
figure. Their bodies, like the water, are stylised to heighten the
decorative effect of the image. Grant’s depiction of the male body was
greatly influenced by Michelangelo’s ink studies and in particular his
cartoon ‘Battle of Cascina’. The celebration of the male nude was
underpinned by both artists by a personal homoerotic fascination.
8. Nancy Grossman – Head
I was always taken by the S&M qualities of these sculptures by
Nancy Grossman. In the 1960s, Grossman began creating her famous
sculptures of heads, which she carefully carved from the wood of
discarded telephone poles, overlaid with leather, and then adorned with
zippers, glass eyes, enamel noses, spikes, and straps. While their size,
shape, and facial features suggest masculinity, she refers to them as
self-portraits, implying the mutability of gender and demonstrating that
all artwork offers something of the artist. Exquisite as they are, the
heads threaten to overshadow the rest of Grossman’s art, largely due to
sensationalistic interpretations that see the sculptures exclusively in a
sadomasochistic frame. But these works also contain the central aspects
of Grossman’s art: an embrace of gender ambiguity, an interest in
formal contradiction and conflict, an audacious use of leather, and a
rich sensuality. Grossman’s sculptures appeal as much to the olfactory
and tactile senses as to the visual; they taunt viewers with their
invitation to touch.
9. Tom of Finland – Boots
Both men and women love Tom of Finland! Great Touko Laaksonen (8 May
1920 – 7 November 1991) was best known by his pseudonym Tom of Finland,
was a Finnish artist notable for his stylized homoerotic fetish art and
his influence on late twentieth century gay culture. He has been called
the “most influential creator of gay pornographic images” by cultural
historian Joseph W. Slade. Over the course of four decades he produced
some 3500 illustrations, mostly featuring men with exaggerated primary
and secondary sex traits with tight or partially removed clothing.
10. Tracey Emin – Pleasuring Herself
I Have seen a similar animation to this needlework by La Emin. Tracey
once said; Thinking about the narcissism behind what I do — the self,
self, self — and how difficult it is for me to really share things, even
though I think I am sharing all the time. Emin’s art is one of
disclosure, using her life events as inspiration for works ranging from
painting, drawing, video and installation, to photography, needlework
and sculpture. Emin reveals her hopes, humiliations, failures and
successes in candid and, at times, excoriating work that is frequently
both tragic and humorous.
