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EMAIL TO A FRIEND PRINT VERSION

BY LARRY KNOWLES
AUGUST 10, 2007

NEW YORK (TNA) -- One of the great unanswered questions of our time is whether it’s socially acceptable for a guy to get aroused when checking out erotica in an art gallery.

After all, wouldn’t a raging hard-on be the ultimate artist compliment?

For that matter, what kind of behavior is acceptable at an erotic art museum? Is it OK for couples to get so turned on by a work of art that they start going at it right there in the museum? Is it okay for a discerning art-lover to clutch a particularly inspiring plaster phallus?

Phallus at the World Erotic Art Museum

"It’s OK to go with your arousal," says Naomi Wilzig, founder and curator of The World Exotic Art Museum (WEAM) in Miami. "Nothing is forbidden. Nothing is wrong. It’s really not for us to judge how you react."

So, gentlemen, get a stiffy if you want. However, Wilzig, who opened the museum in 2005, points out that willfully self-indulgent behavior won’t be tolerated. In other words, no jacking off.

At the Museum of Sex, or MoSex, in New York City, the rules are much the same.

Sarah Jacobs, curator of the Museum of Sex in New York City, addresses the issue elliptically, saying that the museum administration just wants folks to "appreciate the art for its aesthetics and historical value."

"Of course, you can’t control your physiological responses," she’s quick to add—and it’s unclear whether self-abuse is considered an uncontrollable physiological response.

For those who visit erotic art museums in tandem, rules permit foreplay, but nothing more. Wilzig estimates that about 50 percent of the patrons are couples, and whether they fool around is a "personal thing."

She adds that it’s not common for couples to really start going at it. "We’ve had couples lie down on benches and embrace," she says. "But that’s about it."

Going all the way, however, is not encouraged. "We have cameras," she adds.

Says Jacobs, "We’d expect the same level of behavior as at any other cultural institution," which seems to mean that, unless fornication is now allowed at the Met, a quickie is a no-go.

Just as both WEAM and MoSex frown on visitors fondling themselves or others, the museums take a similar stance on patrons groping the art itself.

WEAM has a no-touching rule for all art except one piece: a six-foot phallus statue that folks are allowed to sit on. Wilzig proudly explains that the piece is a popular backdrop for group photos.

Chair giving and receiving head

MoSex has signs throughout the museum asking visitors not to touch the artwork. "We’ve had problems in the past," Jacobs states. She and the staff remind visitors that the works are art, and that touching them would be akin to destroying a part of history.

And for those who don’t know quite what to wear to an erotic art museum, relax. Wear whatever you want. "We’ve had women call and ask what to wear," Jacob explains. "They want to know whether they should wear lingerie."

"‘No,’ we tell them, ‘You don’t have to wear lingerie.’"

As one can imagine, erotic art museums have few regulations and fewer taboos. "We have orgies, oral sex, rear entry, sixty-nine—it’s all here," says Wilzig. "We welcome the uninitiated into the experience."

For more information on the World Exotic Art Museum, visit www.weam.com, and the web address for the Museum of Sex in New York is, appropriately, www.mosex.com.

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