Theodora's favourite women in the erotic arts
People Like You Need To Fuck People Like Me, 2007, Tracey Emin
Theodora’s favourite women in the erotic arts
A little while ago somebody asked me what I was trying to achieve with House of Theodora. I explained to them that my mission is to elevate sexual expression by working with artists and creators who produce beautiful high-quality sensual and erotic art and design that is all about celebrating sexual expression. It’s art you can confidently put on your bedroom walls to excite, to beautify and to empower.
Their response: “Oh, so you produce porn?”
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“No!” I responded. I do not lump erotic art, design and story in with pornography, because to me there are many differences and the dumbing down or the simplification of the erotic realm; the lumping in with mainstream pornography is what I consider one of the main issues with the representation of the sexual expression space today.
Sure, both can ignite arousal but pornography is traditionally to titillate and obviously arouse the viewer, often with a very tired order of events, usually seen through the male gaze. POV porn isn’t popular because women enjoy it! When it comes to pornography, there is a fixed goal in mind.
When it comes to the erotic, and erotic art, we see more beauty, more lyricism, a deeper connection and greater importance on pleasure. It can be explicit or suggestive.
I agree with Leon Seltzer, who wrote that both erotica and pornography are subjective. The person who brushed off my business as pornography doesn’t see the nuanced differences as I do.
If the erotic celebrates sexuality, placing it on a plateau above any essentially masturbatory act of copulation, then it can be seen as diverging markedly from the pornographic. Pornography proposes a temporary "fix" for our sexual frustrations; eroticism offers us something more elusive—an opportunity to experience sensuous delight of a higher order.
- Leon F. Seltzer
The artists that I’ve included in my favourites are creating (or have created) sensational erotic works of art that yes, arouse, but also entice a beauty and a deeper, higher connection. (There’s also a nice dose of humour, too, because sex and the erotic are many things).
Below you’ll see my favourite female erotic artists (listed in alphabetical order) both living and past. I’d love to know if I’ve missed your favourite. Let me know in the comments!
Female Erotic Artists (A - K)
Alexandra Rubinstein
Having moved from Russia to the US at the age of 9, Alexandra Rubinstein’s upbringing was a challenging one. Frequent moves and a feeling of alienation surrounded the impressionable teen, who struggled to find her place as a young woman. Art became her way of exploring the challenges she faced, and the result was some serious talent that mixed the erotic with the political. She calls her erotic art conceptual and playful.
“Through my work, I want to portray a heterosexual female perspective that I rarely, if ever, got to see when I was younger; one that’s assertive, unabashed, unapologetic, and clear of internalised misogyny.”
Ambera Wellmann
Born in 1982 in Nova Scotia, Ambera Wellmann is a contemporary Canadian artist known for her evocative and intricate paintings that explore gender, sexuality, and the complexities of human relationships.
Ambera has a unique approach to figurative art that often balances a delicate and ethereal atmosphere with intense emotional depth. Her paintings often feature solitary female subjects in dreamlike and surreal settings.
See some of Ambera’s work below.
Amy Le Fleur
Perth-based Amy Le Fleur describes her art as sensual, curious and inspired. From a young age, she has seen the beauty and sensuality of the female form.
“Sexual expression is such a big part of how we communicate as humans in relationships and with ourselves and is personally a core part of me that, without it I wouldn’t be an artist,” she said when we asked her about the importance of sexual expression in her work.
We adore Amy’s use of bold colours in her bold artwork. Think greens, blues, pinks and yellows.
Betty Tompkins
Betty Tompkins gained significant attention and recognition for her series of works titled "Fuck Paintings," which she started in the early 1970s. These paintings feature close-up, photorealistic depictions of sex acts and genitalia sourced from her husband’s contraband porn mags. The explicit nature of these images challenged societal norms and the male-dominated art world, as well as questioned the representation of female sexuality in art.
Erotic art is still incredibly taboo in 2023 so you can imagine how much her work pushed the boundaries. Many galleries refused to show her work in the 60s and 70s, and amazingly it wasn’t until 2002 that the ‘Fuck Paintings’ got the attention of audiences after Jerry Saltz (Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic and keen supporter of our first book of erotica) shared an image of one of Tompkins' paintings with gallery owner Michell Algus.
See some of Betty’s work below.
Carol Rama
Carol Rama (1918-2015) was born in Turin, Italy, and spent most of her life there, creating art that explored themes of sexuality, desire, and the human body. Her early works (which were not widely recognised at the time) were influenced by Surrealism and featured abstract and organic forms. Later on she shifted her focus to depicting fragmented bodies, sexual organs, and symbolic representations of female sexuality.
Rama's exploration of sexuality and the human body was deeply personal and often connected to her experiences. As well as sexuality, her work played with themes of oppression, vulnerability, and the human condition.
She received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Biennale in 2003.
See Carol’s work below.
![Appassionata [Passionate], 1941 by Carol Rama](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54045709e4b0c1de7264b04d/1698028628282-4G5DL6UJRVUKYYRLA6DC/Appassionata+%5BPassionate%5D%2C+1941-Carol-Rama.jpeg)
Caroline Coon
Caroline Coon's artwork is charged with intensity and influenced by Pop Art, Feminist Art, and the politics of sexual liberation. Through her paintings, she challenges and disrupts traditional gender norms and binary sexual stereotypes using hermaphroditic and queer figures. These figures boldly confront and unsettle established patriarchal ideas.
One of the most notable aspects of Caroline Coon's work is her exploration of erotic art. Her pieces often celebrate the human body, desire, and sexuality in a bold and unapologetic manner.
See more of Caroline’s work below.
Cecily Brown
Cecily Brown is a contemporary British painter known for her vibrant and dynamic paintings that blend elements of abstraction and figuration. She explores the human body and sexuality and her work is heavily influenced by the works of the Old Masters as well as other artists like Francis Bacon, Willem de Kooning, and Joan Mitchell.
Her paintings have been described as sensual, visceral, and emotionally charged, drawing viewers into a world of fragmented narratives and evocative imagery.
See more of her work below.
Helen Beard
Helen Beard is a contemporary British artist known for her vibrant, provocative and erotic paintings that explore desire, intimacy, and human relationships.
I love her bold colours and the fragmented and overlapping body parts, intimate moments, and suggestive imagery in her paintings. Helen is inspired by photographs, magazines, and popular culture, which she reinterprets and transforms into her own visual language, all the while challenging conventional representations of sexuality, and elevating sexual expression.
See more of Helen’s work below.
Katie Commodore
Katie Commodore draws inspiration for her erotic art from her friends. She says her mobile contains photos of her friends posing for her. She takes their expression of their sexuality and then works with patterns, drawing inspiration from a range of eras to create the final idea. From here, she uses a combination of materials and textures to weave her magic. Katie’s hope is that each piece comes across as a celebration of the model and their power and sexuality.
When asked what pleasure means to her, Katie enlightened us with this response:
“Pleasure is the singular moment of self care, with no guilt on it being all about you for the morment. I admit to being a highly sexual person, but it wasn’t until my late 20s that I started to have orgasms with partners and really ENJOY sex and pleasure. And then it wasn’t until my late 30’s that I became selfish in sex and really started to insist on the drawing out of the pleasure of contact and being with someone else.”
Kimberley Manning
Kimberley Manning’s way with watercolour is nothing short of amazing. She takes us at our most intimate and transports us to a place of intense erotic beauty. She describes her work as liberating, playful and emotive.
She says this of her work: “Women have never been treated equally in the art world. Women still remain dramatically underrepresented and undervalued in museums and galleries today. However, from a personal standpoint, I do feel an unfettered power in the work that I create.
I aim to create a platform for everyone to have access to content that is erotic, emotive and relatable without having to wade through the plethora of unrelatable pornographic material out there.”
Kim has certainly done this by publishing more than 40 of her erotic artworks in our collaborative erotic book projects.
See the books below.
Female Erotic Artists (L - Z)
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage is a contemporary American painter known for her provocative and surreal figurative art. Born on May 16, 1962, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Yuskavage has become renowned for her unique style that combines elements of classical painting with a contemporary and often controversial approach to representation.
Yuskavage's paintings primarily focus on the female figure. Her subjects often appear in dreamlike and fantastical settings, sometimes in a state of undress or engaged in ambiguous or provocative poses.
Through her art, Yuskavage explores themes of female identity, sexuality, and desire. Her portrayals of women challenge traditional notions of beauty and femininity, often embracing a provocative and empowered vision of female sexuality.
See more of Lisa’s work below.
Marilyn Minter
Marilyn Minter is a contemporary American artist known for her provocative and visually striking works, primarily in painting, photography, and video. Born in 1948 in Shreveport, Louisiana, Minter's art often explores themes of desire, sexuality, and the representation of women in popular culture.
Her paintings and photographs are often hyperrealistic and glossy depictions of various subjects, including close-ups of lips, and eyes, and provocative images of women's bodies.
Minter's process often involves photographing her subjects and then digitally manipulating the images to create a heightened sense of allure, spectacle and sensuality.
See more of Marilyn’s work below.
Sarah Fox
Texas-based artist Sarah Fox calls her work “sexy, playful and political”. She draws inspiration from Nan Goldin, Marilyn Minter and Sarah Lucas.
Her recent work “Bad Bunny Series” centres on her alter ego, a brazen curvy bunny exploring her sexual desires. She says of the series:
“I did drawings exploring what did or didn’t turn me on, what I found beautiful and seductive. She also served as a way to express myself politically after so many incredibly restrictive laws about women’s bodies passed first in Texas. She was the loud, angry, sexy, brazen anti-hero I needed in my life.”
See Bad Bunny below.
Sarah Lucas
Sarah Lucas is a contemporary British artist known for her provocative and often humorous sculptures, installations, and photographs. Born on December 20, 1962, in Holloway, London, Lucas emerged as a prominent figure in the British art scene during the 1990s, as part of the Young British Artists (YBAs) movement.
Lucas's art frequently explores themes of gender, sexuality, and the female body. She’s known for using human body parts and sexual innuendo in her sculptures and she frequently employs food, cigarettes, and various found objects as stand-ins for body parts, blurring the boundaries between the human form and inanimate objects.
Lucas's art is infused with a sense of humor and irony. Her works often employ wordplay and puns, inviting viewers to reconsider the deeper meanings behind the seemingly simple and playful forms.
See Sarah’s work below.
Sonia Hensler
British artist Sonia Hensler has always been fascinated by beautifully crafted erotic art and film. She takes inspiration from filmmakers that explore the taboo and the sensual like Bernardo Bertolucci, Tinto Brass, Peter Greenaway and Paolo Sorrentino.
“I like old theatres, opera houses, palaces, carriages and churches, but I also like smokey absinthe bars, brothels, peep shows, and strip clubs,” she says when describing the settings of the erotic scenes found throughout her art.
See some of Sonia’s kinky work below.
Tracey Emin
Tracy Emin is a contemporary British artist known for her deeply personal and confessional artwork that explores themes of love, sexuality, trauma, and identity. She was born on July 3, 1963, in Croydon, London, and gained prominence in the 1990s as one of the leading figures of the Young British Artists (YBAs) movement.
Emin's art is often confessional, as she uses her personal experiences and emotions as the basis for her artwork. She is known for creating candid and emotionally charged pieces that lay bare her innermost thoughts and vulnerabilities.
She’s particularly renowned for her use of text in her artwork. She often incorporates handwritten messages, poems, and diary-like entries into her pieces, adding an intimate and introspective dimension to her work. We also love her neon installations, where her poignant and provocative statements are illuminated in bold, colourful lights.
See some of her work below.
The memory of your touch, 2016, Tracey Emin
Legs IV, 2007, Tracey Emin
Suffer Love II, 2009, Tracey Emin
People Like You Need To Fuck People Like Me, 2007, Tracey Emin
I Held You So Hard, 2015, Tracey Emin
Veronika
Erotic artist Verónika calls her work gentle, sensual and intellectual. Her artwork is soft, accurate and delicate with beautiful muted tones. She looks to books to draw inspiration for every artwork.
Of sexual freedom and expression she says, “It's about your energy and behaviour. How you look, talk, and do what you are doing. Don't be shy about your desires, and make them happen.”
We couldn’t agree more!
See and buy Veronika’s work below.
