Hey folks, Harry here... Got sent over this press release - and thought - ya know, if I were an AICN reader in the Big Apple or headed thereabouts - I'd love to check out this exhibit at the MUSEUM OF SEX. Jeez that's an awesome sounding museum. Personally, I own several Bill Elder & Harvey Kurtzman risque originals, along with a few old old old pin & inks from the 20's and 30's. In particular, what I've always loved about vintage erotica is how classy it is. Today, our society makes sex this ugly thing, back in the old days - it was a joyful thing. It was mainly suggestion, but when it got filthy, it was hilariously filthy. If you're in New York during the run of this show - definitely check it out. You'll probably enjoy it quite a bit.
“Comics Stripped” Opens January 13
at the Museum of Sex
New exhibit steps back in time and into the pages of comics to expose erotic influences on pop culture.
[January 7, 2011 ‐ New York, NY] During the Great Depression, before Joe Shuster’s illustration of Superman gave comics a
mainstream voice in 1938, many other cartoonists dabbled in the
creation of “dirty drawings.” This risqué artwork featured busty
women, fetishes, bondage, homosexuality and other explicit sexual
encounters. Beginning January 13, the Museum of Sex will flip
through the pages of erotic history to reveal how the comic book
medium has been used over time to depict sexual fantasy, poke fun
at taboo topics and lampoon icons of popular culture. The exhibit,
aptly named Comics Stripped, will feature drawings from the Great
Depression to the present, all which remind us of the fun,
frivolity and impact of sexual expression and innuendo on our lives.
Comics Stripped, an illustrated exploration of the dirty drawing, will
feature more than 150 artifacts, including original drawings,
illustrated books, comic books, magazines and videos. The exhibit
addresses the adult nature of comics and cartoons, a concept now widely popularized in television
series like The Simpsons and Family Guy on FOX and Ugly Americans shown on Comedy Central. The
exhibit is tantalizing, racy and is sure to stoke more than a few libidos.
Tom of Finland, a prominent artist in gay comic culture, once said, “If I don’t have an erection when I’m doing a drawing, I know it’s
no good.” It’s a metric used by many erotic cartoonists, whose
fantasies are found splayed across the printed page for their
reader’s enjoyment. Comics used as a medium for sexual
gratification isn’t a new concept. Among the most historic
artifacts on display inComics Stripped are Tijuana Bibles, which marked the rudimentary beginning of the sexually oriented comic
in the 1930s. This collection of 18 original pulp comic books, once
used as instruction booklets for fornication or fun, feature the comic strip characters Blondie, Dick Tracy,
Olive Oyl, Wimpy and many more in suggestive scenarios. Wesley Morse (1897‐1963), the creator of the
Bazooka Joe and Gang comic wrapped around Topps’ bubble gum was one of the most well‐known
cartoonists to create Tijuana Bibles.
The wholesome image of Disney has often been a prime target for sexualized illustration. The Tijuana Bibles entitled
Donald Duck has a Universal Desire and Snow White and
the Seven Dwarves are among the Disney‐based artifacts on
display. Perhaps the most well‐known sexual artifact which
depicts Disney characters in precarious positions, The
Disneyland Memorial Orgy, which was drawn by Wally
Wood, a master cartoonist who drew for MAD Magazine
and EC comics, will be prominently featured.
Disney wasn’t the only company to have their characters
lampooned in sexual situations. Joe Shuster’sNights of Horror depicts doppelgangers of Superman and
Lois Lane in fetish scenarios. Eric Stanton’sBlunder Broad mimicked Wonder Woman. The inept superheroine
often failed at capturing her nemesis and ended up enduring rape and torture as a result. Five
original issues of issues of Nights of Horror will be on display during the exhibition as well as six original illustrations of Blunder Broad.
The sexual depiction of characters seemingly intended for children did not sit well during the period of
McCarthyism. Comics Stripped explores the McCarthy era of comic censorship, the creation of the
Comics Code Authority in 1954 and the impact these events had on illustrated erotic expression. The
exhibit takes an inside look at underground publications that utilized comics to satisfy people’s need for
titillation. The artists Robert Dennis Crumb (1943‐ ), best known by the moniker R. Crumb for his
characters Fritz the Cat, Mr. Natural and Devil Girl, is considered to be one of the greatest cartoonists of
all time. His participation in the underground sex comic movement (comix) inspired many others to join.
Comics Stripped will display R. Crumb originals that sparked the growth of the comix movement. The exhibit showcases risqué contraband of the time including Ballyhoo, Whiz Bang and an original
illustration of Betty Boop. These and other pieces of sensual contraband gave rise to a new form of
entertainment, the men’s magazine.
Cartoons and comics were and still are a staple of Playboy editorial. Visitors toComics Stripped will enjoy original art, on loan from the
Playboy Enterprises, Inc., of iconic Playboy artists Jack Cole (1914‐1958)
and Eldon Dedini (1921‐2006). Cole may be best known for creating the
superhero Plastic Man. His cartoons for Playboy became the gold
standard for creating cartoons published in the popular men’s magazine. Dedini’s iconic watercolor depictions of horny satyrs chasing voluptuous
Comics Stripped will reveal every segment of the sex comic and its modern evolution. Original gay
comics from Tom of Finland, fetish drawings from John Willie and international sex comics from France, nymphs were an iconic Playboy feature. The originalLittle Annie Fanny
will be shown steps away from the most current cartoon fem fatale to
grace the cover of Playboy, Marge Simpson.
Comics Stripped will reveal every segment of the sex comic and its modern evolution. Original gay
Brazil and Japan will be shown.
“Sex comics straddle borders and realms
of possibility. Some of the most eyepopping
animated sex comes from the
Japanese. The French are masters of
coitus. Europeans illustrate positions
that I couldn’t get into without becoming
a yoga master. Americans? Well, plastic
surgeons can’t even come close to
accomplishing what we can with a
pencil,” quips Craig Yoe, well‐known
entertainment executive and curator of
Better known as C.E. Yoe, Craig Yoe is responsible for the creative development of classic toys like Cabbage Patch Kids and My Little Pony. He was personally recruited by Jim Henson to be Creative
Director, and later VP/General Manager, of the Muppets. Yoe’s experience spans the gamut, from
comics to toys to television and even theme parks. After Henson’s death, Yoe started YOE! Studio! with
his business partner Clizia Gussoni. The exhibit is co‐curated by Sarah Forbes of the Museum of Sex.
“Many artists of ‘dirty drawings’ had full‐time gigs in mainstream entertainment,” says Yoe. “I consider
myself to be following in a fine tradition of men who knew what they wanted and how to put it on
paper.”
About The Museum of Sex
The Mission of the Museum of Sex is to preserve and present the history, evolution and cultural
significance of human sexuality. In its exhibitions, programs and publications, the Museum of Sex is
committed to opening discourse and exchange and to bringing to the public the best in current
scholarship. The Museum’s permanent collection of over 15,000 artifacts is comprised of works of art,
photography, clothing and costumes, technological inventions and historical ephemera. Additionally, the
museum houses both a research library as well as an extensive multimedia library, which includes 8mm,
Super 8mm, 16mm, BETA, VHS and DVDs. From fine art to historical ephemera to film, the Museum of
Sex preserves an ever‐growing collection of sexually related objects that would otherwise be destroyed
and discarded due to their sexual content. In a city that never sleeps, the Museum of Sex is constantly
evolving and has no plans to slow down. www.museumofsex.com