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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Allen Jones, Hatstand, Table and Chair, 1969

Thigh high corseted boots, rounded naked breasts and BDSM accessories embellish many of Allen Jones' most provocative sculptures. Could his sculpture be the sexiest ever?

One of the UK’s much-loved Pop artists, Jones draws artistic inspiration from a post-war London in which anything was possible. Over the past five decades, Jones has created a great number of paintings, sculptures and drawings depicting the female form in an undeniably fetish manner.

While his furniture brandishing naked breasts and bums may not be everyone's cup of tea, it sure packs a punch.