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History of The World Erotic Art Museum

The museum's collection of art and artists illustrates the history of erotic art. This X-rated house of art is the destination to over 4,000 piece collection dating back from before Jesus Christ established the conservative right.

By Lizzie BoudoirPublished 7 years ago 4 min read
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In 2005, the World Erotic Art Museum was introduced to Miami, Florida. WEAM, as it is referred to, is located in the heart of South Beach, the art deco district, where freedom of expression is all around you. The museum uses its vast collection of art and artists to illustrate the history of erotic art. This X-rated house of art is home to an over 4,000 piece collection dating back from the year 300 B.C. to present day.

WEAM

WEAM is housed in a former recording studio above the Cabaret South Beach. It has grown to be one of the world's most renowned permanent museums for this type of art. Its mission is to engage and educate the community and to "contribute to cultural knowledge of erotic art in history."

Mainstream artists such as Rembrandt, Dali, and Picasso are interspersed with more "controversial" artists such as Maplethorpe. Even the mainstream artists have caused their own discussion on what is "erotic" as opposed to what is more universally seen as art. WEAM has premiered an exhibit of rare, erotic Rembrandt etchings, the first solo show of Helmut Newton in Florida, as well as Protected Beauty. This exhibit examines masculine beauty through the lens of artists represented in the Kinsey Institute’s art collection. Many of the works in the exhibition came to the institute at a time when there were little to no other repositories that would accept artwork that presented the male nude outside of socially-accepted contexts.

The Golden Boy

The highlight of the WEAM collection is referred to as the "Golden Boy." It is a gigantic gold-colored fiberglass penis that is set in front of Lynchian blue curtains and in its own room. It is one of the few things in the museum that is allowed to be touched and photographed. Visitors can also sit on it if they prefer to. Don't worry, there are many other penises on display at WEAM, in all shapes and sizes. They are made out of almost any material you can imagine—even Swarovski crystals. There is a revolving 25 lb. Brazilian geode that occurred in the unmistakable shape of a circumcised penis. And if penises aren't your thing, be sure to check out the dominatrix Barbie dolls.

Another favorite attraction of the museum is a king-size four-post bed frame that was carved by a German roofer. The 8' tall bed posts are shaped like male genitalia and there are 138 Kama Sutra positions carved into every surface. Be sure to take notes while you are there. The museum has late hours so South Beach club hoppers have a place to go to get some erotic culture before taking in the extensive night life.

Naomi Wilzig

The museum is home to the collection of the late Naomi Wilzig. A collector of fine art and the classics, she had started her collection when her son requested some art to decorate his apartment. When she brought him back something, he had to explain to her that it was erotic in nature. Thus began her 15 year quest to collect pieces from every culture. She traveled all over the world amassing a wide range of erotica. Her son dubbed her the Queen of Erotic Art.

Each room is built around a different place or theme. They range from Asia to Africa and beyond. In Japan, she collected shunga books, which are prints of sexual scenes. These were rumored to be used as instructional guides for newlywed nobility from the 17th to the 19th centuries. Wilzig also acquired Greek, Roman, and Egyptian antiquities which included fertility amulets and figurines.

The Orthodox Jewish Background of WEAM

You would never know that Naomi Wilzig, who has since passed, was from an orthodox Jewish background. Her father had been a major developer of the Meadowlands in New Jersey. Her husband, Siggi, was a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp, who came to this country and worked to become a major philanthropist of Jewish causes. Siggi was the first Holocaust survivor to lecture at West Point and he spent many years as president and chief executive of the Wilshire Oil Company. He was also an advisor to Nobel Prize winner and writer Elie Wiesel. She was the Jewish grandmother who would wear a charm of an erect penis around her neck. In a Miami Herald story, she was quoted as saying, "At this point in my life, I'm a crusader to get John Q. Public to accept that erotic art is out there. We accept violence, but we go crazy over the idea of a nude body." She went from being a house wife to an erotic art collector and she did it with charm and grace.

One of the founders of Hadassah Hospital, the museum has been host to Hadassah meetings. This is really bringing the mainstream and the erotic together. Wilzig wanted to take the stigma out of erotic art. This museum is her legacy and it is dedicated to continue her mission and expanding the collection and educating the world to embrace their sexuality. There is no place better to explore sexuality than in the heart of Miami.

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About the Creator

Lizzie Boudoir

Thrice married, in love once, overly romantic, and hypersexual.

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