Phillip de Pury & Company’s SEX auction of erotic artwork in London netted more than $2 million last Friday. Ironically, there was a 69 percent sell-through rate by lot; but in auction terms, that rate is considered modest at best. While some experts referred to the achieved prices as flaccid, the sale did manage to generate a lot of press — particularly for a 1992 pantsless picture France’s first lady, Carla Bruni, by Helmut Newton.
We’ve assembled a provocative mix of the erotic works — ranging from a 1971 Picasso etching of three musketeers enchanted by a reclining female nude to a 1999 Cindy Sherman photo of a frighteningly bizarre baby boy — that were on sale, and most likely will be decorating some edgy collectors’ bedrooms soon.
Click here to view a NSFW slideshow of works from the auction block>>