Peep Show
Last night I found myself at the World Erotic Art Museum on South Beach, at a friend’s 19th annual “39th Birthday” bash. (You do the math.) My friend’s birthday soirees have reached the status of local legend on Miami Beach, and deserve a separate blog of their own. So today’s chat will be devoted solely to the topic of – what else – erotic art.
The World Erotic Art Museum is not the place for a first date. Maybe a second date, but only if the first date went really well. Okay, see that? I just can’t help starting off with a joke when discussing my first visit to a museum devoted to the art of s-e-x. What I noticed last night was, neither can most folks.
This vast assortment of objets d’art is the result of one woman’s considerable collecting skills. Naomi Wilzig has been collecting erotic art from far-flung locales for the past 14 years – as well as more mundane antiques like English china and Victorian card sets. When her son, Ivan, had asked her to find some erotic art for his new apartment, Wilzig, like any devoted mom, went shopping. This energetic 70-year-old covered a lot of ground in a rather short amount of time, and the “hot” pursuit of erotica became a challenge she couldn’t resist.
When an art dealer told Wilzig that many dealers carry high-quality erotic art but keep it “under wraps” or in the back room, it piqued her curiosity and spurred her on to find even more pieces for the collection. Like a lot of personal collections, this one grew and grew and GREW until, by golly, it was demanding its own museum space.
Wilzig’s 4,000 piece collection includes Kama Sutra temple carvings from India, Victorian hand-painted peek-a-boo china boxes, Japanese pillow books, African fertility objects, Mexican and pre-Columbian items, and contemporary paintings and sculptures – including a Disney poster featuring popular characters in compromising positions, lots of rather gimcrack Marilyn Monroe posters and one of the Beatles, sans trousers.
After the umpteenth penis sculpture, the novelty wear offs a bit, and I found myself behaving like any mildly curious museum-goer. I peered closely at the museum’s informative and well-organized note cards to find where the objects were made, what century they were from, and intriguing background info such as: “the tribal chief would tie special, individualized knots to secure his wife’s chastity belt.”
The evening’s biggest conversation piece was the massive, hand-carved four-poster bed, a contemporary piece that spoke softly but sported four very big sticks. A hurricane couldn’t blow this bed away. It was fun to watch people’s expressions when they encountered it.
The staff at World Erotic Art Museum knows their stuff. When I inquired about the oldest objects on display in the collection, one guide quickly directed me to them. As the party wound down, I wandered back into the African room. Two women were animatedly discussing the over-the-top floral arrangements at the Setai – oblivious to their surroundings. It was time to call it a night.
The impression I came away with is that this really is a museum, not a perverted fun-house or a place to go on a frat-house dare. You can learn from these objects – if you’re willing to listen. In a Seattle Times article, Naomi Wilzig said it best: "Why should these things be hidden? It's how everyone got here, so why should we be embarrassed?"
I took the elevator down to the first floor and walked out into the balmy South Beach evening, taking note of how quiet weekday nights are along Washington Avenue and how easy it is to find parking. I looked across the intersection and spotted airline mogul and space flight junkie Richard Branson crossing the street with three friends.
We all know Mr. Branson’s no virgin, but my guess is he wasn’t headed for the Erotic Museum.
Just out to dinner.
IF YOU GO:
World Erotic Art Museum
1205 Washington Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33139
(305) 532-9336
www.weam.com
Hours: Open daily 11 a.m. to midnight.
Admission: $15 tax included; no one under 18 admitted. Wheelchair accessible.
The World Erotic Art Museum is not the place for a first date. Maybe a second date, but only if the first date went really well. Okay, see that? I just can’t help starting off with a joke when discussing my first visit to a museum devoted to the art of s-e-x. What I noticed last night was, neither can most folks.
This vast assortment of objets d’art is the result of one woman’s considerable collecting skills. Naomi Wilzig has been collecting erotic art from far-flung locales for the past 14 years – as well as more mundane antiques like English china and Victorian card sets. When her son, Ivan, had asked her to find some erotic art for his new apartment, Wilzig, like any devoted mom, went shopping. This energetic 70-year-old covered a lot of ground in a rather short amount of time, and the “hot” pursuit of erotica became a challenge she couldn’t resist.
When an art dealer told Wilzig that many dealers carry high-quality erotic art but keep it “under wraps” or in the back room, it piqued her curiosity and spurred her on to find even more pieces for the collection. Like a lot of personal collections, this one grew and grew and GREW until, by golly, it was demanding its own museum space.
Wilzig’s 4,000 piece collection includes Kama Sutra temple carvings from India, Victorian hand-painted peek-a-boo china boxes, Japanese pillow books, African fertility objects, Mexican and pre-Columbian items, and contemporary paintings and sculptures – including a Disney poster featuring popular characters in compromising positions, lots of rather gimcrack Marilyn Monroe posters and one of the Beatles, sans trousers.
After the umpteenth penis sculpture, the novelty wear offs a bit, and I found myself behaving like any mildly curious museum-goer. I peered closely at the museum’s informative and well-organized note cards to find where the objects were made, what century they were from, and intriguing background info such as: “the tribal chief would tie special, individualized knots to secure his wife’s chastity belt.”
The evening’s biggest conversation piece was the massive, hand-carved four-poster bed, a contemporary piece that spoke softly but sported four very big sticks. A hurricane couldn’t blow this bed away. It was fun to watch people’s expressions when they encountered it.
The staff at World Erotic Art Museum knows their stuff. When I inquired about the oldest objects on display in the collection, one guide quickly directed me to them. As the party wound down, I wandered back into the African room. Two women were animatedly discussing the over-the-top floral arrangements at the Setai – oblivious to their surroundings. It was time to call it a night.
The impression I came away with is that this really is a museum, not a perverted fun-house or a place to go on a frat-house dare. You can learn from these objects – if you’re willing to listen. In a Seattle Times article, Naomi Wilzig said it best: "Why should these things be hidden? It's how everyone got here, so why should we be embarrassed?"
I took the elevator down to the first floor and walked out into the balmy South Beach evening, taking note of how quiet weekday nights are along Washington Avenue and how easy it is to find parking. I looked across the intersection and spotted airline mogul and space flight junkie Richard Branson crossing the street with three friends.
We all know Mr. Branson’s no virgin, but my guess is he wasn’t headed for the Erotic Museum.
Just out to dinner.
IF YOU GO:
World Erotic Art Museum
1205 Washington Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33139
(305) 532-9336
www.weam.com
Hours: Open daily 11 a.m. to midnight.
Admission: $15 tax included; no one under 18 admitted. Wheelchair accessible.
posted by Carolyn Keating at
1:05 PM
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