WTF

GOING, GOING, DONG!

Erotic Valentine’s auction at Sotheby’s offering a penis table, orgy necklace and saucy sketches

Art-lovers searching for that perfect gift could find it among the dozens of naughty items going under the hammer

laura burnip

Published: 1:03, 4 Feb 2017
Updated: 10:13, 13 Feb 2017

EROTIC artworks are going on show in a titillating exhibition in London opening just in time for Valentine's Day.

Art-lovers searching for that perfect gift could find it among the dozens of rare naughty paintworks and sculptures going under the hammer at prestigious auction house Sotheby's.

A 1972 ad lithograph by US figurative painter Mel Ramos promoting tobacco, Coca-Cola, ketchup and spark plugs and going for £5,000 to £7,000 — A 1972 ad lithograph by US figurative painter Mel Ramos promoting tobacco, Coca-Cola, ketchup and spark plugs and going for £5,000 to £7,000Credit: Sotheby

A number of saucy items are going up for sale at the auction including Gil_Elvgren's Modest Maneuver — A number of saucy items are going up for sale at the auction including Gil_Elvgren's Modest ManeuverCredit: Sotheby

Among works by Egon Schiele in the sale is Akt (Nude), estimated to fetch £180,000. — Among works by Egon Schiele in the sale is Akt (Nude), estimated to fetch £180,000.Credit: Sotheby

This penis mould is among the collection of erotic paintings, drawings, sculptures and furniture — This penis mould is among the collection of erotic paintings, drawings, sculptures and furnitureCredit: Sotheby

Man Posing by Lucian Freud is one of the best-known names up for sale, expected to fetch between £15,000 and £20,000 — Man Posing by Lucian Freud is one of the best-known names up for sale, expected to fetch between £15,000 and £20,000Credit: Sotheby

Marc Quinn's sculpture of Kate Moss titled Siren is estimated to reach £70,000-£90,000 — Marc Quinn's sculpture of Kate Moss titled Siren is estimated to reach £70,000-£90,000Credit: Sotheby

A pencil drawing by Pablo Picasso is among the collection of more than 100 items going up for auction — A pencil drawing by Pablo Picasso is among the collection of more than 100 items going up for auctionCredit: Sotheby

The saucy artworks range from sketches by famous artists including Pablo Picasso and Lucian Freud to sensual furniture and retro advertising prints.

But the most bizarre item is an obscene bedside table made out of giant penises and breasts - a replica of one owned by Russia's Catherine the Great.

The original burnt down in a fire but luckily photographs of it were taken in 1941 by Wehrmacht soldiers, so a replica could be created.

Another notable sculpture is Siren, showing supermodel Kate Moss in a naked yoga pose.

More than 100 extraordinary items will feature in the exhibition The Erotic: Passion and Desire, which opens on February 11 at Sotheby's New Bond Street Galleries ahead of an auction on February 16.

And the raunchy pictures and sculptures are expected to sell for tens of thousands to kinky art collectors from all over the world.

On its website, Sotheby's said the exhibition would "encompass representations of love and sex from antiquity to the present day".

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A copy of Catherine the Great's obscene bedside table, which we deemed too rude to publish uncensored on The Sun website

This erotic picture from North India dates back to the 1700s — This erotic picture from North India dates back to the 1700sCredit: Sotheby

Clive Barker's subtly titled sculpture Girl and her Pussy — Clive Barker's subtly titled sculpture Girl and her PussyCredit: Sotheby

Items range from the more modern to antique treasures such as these elegant boxes adorned with kinky images — Items range from the more modern to antique treasures such as these elegant boxes adorned with kinky imagesCredit: Sotheby

One of the prize items in the auction is Jacques Loysel's La Grand Nevrose, estimated to fetch up to £180,000 — One of the prize items in the auction is Jacques Loysel's La Grand Nevrose, estimated to fetch up to £180,000Credit: Sotheby

Portrait of Miss Mortimer as Hebe, expected to fetch £6,000 to £8,000 — Portrait of Miss Mortimer as Hebe, expected to fetch £6,000 to £8,000Credit: Sotheby

A German silver bourdaloue by Gustav Friedrich Gerich — A German silver bourdaloue by Gustav Friedrich GerichCredit: Sotheby

Camille Bombois's baigneuses surprises from 1930 — Camille Bombois's baigneuses surprises from 1930Credit: Sotheby

Le Lit de la Païva, commissioned by a 19th-century French courtesan and expected to fetch £800,000 — Le Lit de la Païva, commissioned by a 19th-century French courtesan and expected to fetch £800,000Credit: Sotheby

It said: "Across the centuries, art has always been intrinsically linked to expressions of passion and sensuality.

"The sale explores themes from the beauty of desire to representations of the male nude to the carnal act itself.";

Sotheby's head of sales Constantine Frangos said: “Art has always existed to tell a human story, and sex has always been a part of that story – whether it is there to compel, to shock or to seduce.

"Indeed, Eroticism in art has appeared in whatever form art has taken, and our exhibition will take the viewer on a journey through the centuries.

“This sale creates a stage on which we are able to bring together a fascinating array of artworks and objects across many disciplines – charting a history whilst also presenting stunning works by artists as eclectic as Picasso, Man Ray, Ettore Sottsass and Marc Quinn.”

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Topics

Valentine's Day