Visual Arts

The top 10 romantic artworks

By Lucy Scovell on 8/2/2018

From the filthy to the romantic, art celebrating erotic pleasure has thrilled artists and collectors for centuries.
As Sotheby's plays host to the much-anticipated Erotic: Passion & Desire sale next week, we round up 10 of the best romantic artworks celebrating pleasure in the most sensual and provocative ways (leaving pornography aside, of course).
Just in time for Valentine's Day, this selection will make even the most liberal among you hot under the collar. Enjoy.

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Pablo Picasso, Le Rêve, 1932

In 1932, with the young Marie-Thérèse Walter as his muse, Picasso produced some of the most charged and erotic artwork of his career: Le Rêve (or The Dream) is one of the most titilating of all.

The work depicts Walter, asleep, though the serenity of the scene is punctured on spotting the erect penis that makes up her upturned face.

Picasso's raging passion for his young mistress is unmistakable here; his 'explosive energy' strikes the viewer like a bolt of electricity.

Luckily for us, Le Rêve will wing its way to London this March for Tate Modern's spring blockbuster, Picasso 1932: Love, Fame, Tragedy. Eager to see Tate's show of the year ahead of time, we nipped across the channel to see it in Paris (read our review here).