From Michelangelo to Rubens, Degas and Picasso, erotic art has attracted many great masters, who created works that captivate the beholder like few others. In spite of, or maybe even because of, this attraction, erotic art has never failed to evoke controversy, and regularly had to defend itself from charges of pornography. This book guides readers from early portrayals of erotic scenes produced in the 16th and 17th centuries, to contemporary highlights such as Picasso's sketchbook drawings, encompassing a large variety of styles and techniques.