Book Review: Seduced

By Sandy Amazeen Nov 28, 2007, 1:56 GMT

Throughout history, sex and the human form have been the subject of artistic expression yet even today, few topics raise public ire more then a museum or gallery hosting a show containing anything resembling an erotic nature. The explicit and controversial paintings, sculpture, photography and writing presented in this collection will certainly fuel the ongoing “is it art or pornography debate. This debate has resulted in the defacing and destruction of some of the world’s most beautiful sculpture including works by masters like Michelangelo by the well intentioned. At first blush, many of the two hundred works in this collection pushes the envelope of decency yet that is exactly the point, the authors challenge readers to look beyond the often-graphic content to the artistic vision that created it. The featured artwork covers a broad range from virtually unknown artists to masters such as Picasso with a timeframe from 500 BC to present day. This is not your standard coffee table book and should not be left where curious children are likely to discover it unless you are willing to answer uncomfortable questions. Many of the pieces are disturbing, some seem quite raunchy and yet it is these works that give us pause, make us think and that is what good artwork is all about.