Museum Erotica exhibits stimulating history of sex
How
was the sex life of the ancient people of Greece, Japan or China? What
did a whore's boudoir in 17th century Denmark look like? Who has the
longest penis on earth? What makes the Marquis de Sade so well-known
today?
You will
find the answers to all these questions, and many more besides, in the
Museum Erotica Copenhagen. Founded in 1992, the museum openly
illustrates the sexual, erotic and pornographic history of human
beings. It is the first erotica museum in Scandinavia and the second
one in Europe -- the other is in Amsterdam.
"One visit to the Museum Erotica will illuminate your conception of
eroticism and pornography forever!" the museum promises its visitors.
This seems to be true in the case of most of the visitors who explore
the 750-square-meter museum that occupies a three-floor building on
Kobmagergade 24 in central Copenhagen.
"The Golden Phallus" greets every visitor on entry and is the museum's hallmark.
The collections are arranged chronologically from the earliest times
when people started recording sex-related materials, and continue right
up to the present day. A TV set to inform visitors in Danish and
English is provided in each room.
A visit to the museum, which is managed by Ole Ege, an erotic photographer and filmmaker, starts off in the green room.
This room displays erotic artwork from ancient times, like the kylix
from Attica (520-480 BC), painted with sexual acts; Chinese erotic
amulets; 18th century colored woodcuts from Japan; and erotic
paintings, crafts and sculptures from India. It comes as a surprise to
find an Indonesian artwork in this section, a two-meter-high erotic
wood carving from Bali.
The museum is a good place to discover the facts about erotica and
pornography in an entertaining way. It uses tableaus to display real
scenes from the past. For instance, scenes from Cupid and Psyche -- an
ancient legend about love, and Fanny Hill, a figure in the Memoirs of a
Woman of Pleasure -- the foremost piece of British erotica, which was
written by John Cleland and published in 1749. There is also a tableau
of a whore's boudoir in Denmark in the 17th century.
The collections and stories displayed in the Museum are mostly taken
from throughout the development of Western civilization. The invention
of photography in 1839 transformed erotic nude sketches, paintings and
drawings into photographs. You can see collections of early porn
magazine covers and pin-ups, and photographs of Danish prostitute
culture from 1900.
The story of the invention of contraception is also related, including
the evolution of contraceptives for men and women in terms of "shapes
and sizes".
The museum emphasizes the influence of American culture in the 20th century in a section about Playboy magazine and Hollywood's creation of myths and icons. Based upon Irving Wallace's book The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People,
the museum also deals with some of Hollywood's most famous
personalities, such as Ingrid Bergman, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo
and, of course, Marilyn Monroe.
A large room is especially dedicated to Monroe. Her songs echo around
the room while collector's items, her LPs, quotes, personal photos,
filmography and an original cocktail dress bought at a Christie's
auction in 1999 are exhibited. Visitors can also freely comment on her
in a guest book.
"Incredible!" exclaimed a woman visitor upon seeing the picture of the
naked Abdullah Daoud, the man who reportedly has the longest penis in
the world. In addition to that, the museum also has tableaus exhibiting
replica genitalia belonging to porn stars Brad Stone and Chasey Lain.
The Museum also highlights an historic moment in Denmark when it became
the first country on earth to radically liberalize pornography in
1967-1969, an event that transformed the country into a world symbol of
pornography.
All
materials exhibited are sex-related. However, by the entrance to a room
containing very explicit material, a warning is displayed advising
visitors not to enter should they be easily shocked.
"The museum's collection is definitely different," said a Japanese
journalist, who had just spent less than one minute in the "shocking
room".
This room
contains many colorful pictures of various types of sexual intercourse
and positions, more than the hardest of hard-core. Before leaving the
Museum, visitors can also browse at a bank of TV sets showing the
latest Western porno movies.
