What’s new
Double take
7th November 2023
Twisted humour and telling visual juxtapositions – that’s the work of today’s new artist, San Francisco-based Mitsu Okubo, with his deceptively simple drawings and collages. But every one is worth a second look. See them all now by clicking here.
Sex in Venice
6th November 2023
Thanks to two lovely friends we now have both versions – colour and duotone – of Georges Drain’s enchanting illustrations for the Marquis de Sade’s Le bordel de Venise (The Venice Brothel). Only eight of them, but true 1920s French classics. See them all now by clicking here.
Sex Parisian-style
5th November 2023
One of the best-known Parisian magazine artists of the early twentieth century, Zygmunt Brunner only illustrated two erotic classics – and we have both of them. See his stylish portfolios for Gamiani and Le Diable au Corps now by clicking here.
The complexity of the engaged artist
3rd November 2023
Brilliant painter, philosopher, social activist, obsessive bibliophile, ardent lover of women – that’s today’s remarkable new artist, Robert Lenkiewicz. A complex and driven painter who put himself at the heart of his local community, see his work now by clicking here.
Gamiani reprise
31st October 2023
Alfred de Musset’s ‘Gamiani’ is one of the best-known classics of French erotic literature, and one of the most-often illustrated. Today’s new addition is from 1935, by the ubiquitous Anonymous, and you can see it (donkey, monkey, hanged man and all) by clicking here.
Chansons érotiques
30th October 2023
A 1923 set of illustrations today to Béranger’s Erotic Songs, by Alex Virot, much better known as a pioneer French broadcaster than as an artist. But he did also like fleshly pursuits and wasn’t a half bad illustrator, as you’ll see if you click here.
Garden of delights
28th October 2023
Eighteenth-century orgies today – Sigmund Freudenberger’s etchings for Nerciat’s scandalous Les Aphrodites, a fictional fantasy of frolicking French aristocrats and clergy. See them all now by clicking here.
Honestly erótico
27th October 2023
Today we bring you the bold, innovative work of the Brazilian artist Fábio Baroli, with his artistic responses to classical art and voyeuristic pornography. See his thought-provoking work now by clicking here. Enjoy!
Just fantasies?
20th October 2023
Today’s new artist is the intelligent and imaginative French cartoonist Saxkal, with his fantasies based on the hippie commune life and the experiences of a revolutionary prostitute. See some of his best work now by clicking here, and share Saxkal’s creative world.
Philosophical encounters
19th October 2023
A small dose of eighteenth century philosophy today, Claude Bornet’s five engravings for the first illustrated edition of the Marquis de Sade’s Philosophie dans le Boudoir. Yes, they knew how to experiment sexually even in 1795! Click here now to see them.
Important recent updates
✨ Illustrator and portfolio lists
One of the most common requests we get (and the responses to the recent questionnaire confirm this) is that it would be really useful to have complete listings of all the artists and portfolios on the website – as of May 2026 728 artists and 2,003 portfolios!
So we’ve listened and heard … and by following this link you will find files with these listings in alphabetical order (and where there are several portfolios with the same name their artists will be in order too). The lists are in PDF format, so you can download, save and search them. They duplicate what you can already find in the artist and portfolio listings on the website, but if you’re really into erotic art and illustration and would like a quick ready reference, you should find these invaluable. Enjoy!
✨ Helping you to find your way around
You asked for it, we’ve done it – all the artists on the site now have a set of ‘Similar artists’ links at the end of their biography, so whether it’s bookplate artists, spanking artists, gay artists, whatever, you can cruise easily from artist to similar artist. Have fun!
✨ Hans-Jürgen Döpp, 1940–2025
Few people have shared their wisdom, experience – and wonderful collection of erotic art – more than Hans-Jürgen Döpp, who sadly died last year at the age of 84. For more than half a century Hans-Jürgen devoted himself to the study and collection of erotic art, not as a marginal curiosity or a private indulgence, but as an essential part of human culture. Through his work as a scholar, teacher, curator, author and collector, he helped establish erotic art as a serious field of artistic and historical enquiry. He was an enthusiastic supporter of honesterotica, sharing more than 200 of his portfolios with us, helping to make the website a unique resource of erotic art that would otherwise have been lost to the world. Read our tribute to Hans-Jürgen here.
✨ The difficult mirror
Artists, childhood, and the challenge of looking
At a time of growing concern about online child safety, we are very aware of how we handle the sensitive subject of depictions of children in art, especially ‘erotic art’. We have added an important Themes and Topics article here, which helps explore how artists over time have depicted naked children, and why it is as important to think seriously about what art is for and how we look at and experience it as about what is actually being depicted. Read the piece and see what you think.