Belgian Artist's Erotic Art Still Shocks Today

An exhibition titled 'Laboratory of Lust' at Kunsthaus Zurich is exploring the controversial oeuvre of Belgian artist Félicien Rops. Rops, active in the late 19th century, created drawings, etchings, prints, and paintings that were often laced with satanic elements and depicted scandalous subjects, including his infamous work 'Pornocrates.' His art, which featured naked witches, voyeurs, and courtesans, aimed to shock audiences, a sentiment still echoed by contemporary viewers.

Born in Namur, Belgium, in 1833, Rops defied his privileged background to embrace art and a bohemian lifestyle in Paris. His illustrative work for authors like Baudelaire evolved into fantastical depictions of the 'demimonde,' whom he called Ropsiennes. Rops' personal life mirrored his art, marked by unconventional relationships and a successful career as Paris's highest-paid illustrator by the mid-1870s. He died in 1898, having received the Légion d'honneur.

The exhibition, co-orchestrated by Jonas Beyer and Daan van Heesch, includes rare secret albums and standalone drawings. Curators aim to present Rops holistically, acknowledging his status as an accomplished symbolist artist alongside the disturbing and violent nature of his work, encouraging a nuanced discussion about sexuality and male culture.

Works by Rops remain highly sought after by collectors and museums, with his printed works often appearing in frontispieces. A notable watercolour, 'Le Calvaire (Les Sataniques),' sold for approximately £160,000 in 2007. Experts emphasize that Rops' art, while erotically charged and designed to shock, should be distinguished from pornography and viewed as the self-respecting work of an artist.