The World Erotic Art Museum is at 1205 Washington Avenue in Miami Beach’s Art Deco District. Founded by collector Naomi Wilzig in 2005, it traces erotic art across cultures and centuries through paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures and artifacts. The collection includes works dating to 300 BCE, historical Japanese shunga books and a phallic prop from A Clockwork Orange. You can explore at your own pace, and photography without flash is allowed. The subject matter becomes more explicit as you move through the displays.
A collection built around erotic art
The World Erotic Art Museum opened in Miami Beach in 2005. Collector Naomi Wilzig established it to share her collection and use art to explore human sexuality. The museum focuses on erotic art, with works gathered from around the world and spanning a long stretch of history.
More than 4,000 pieces make up the collection. The displays include paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures and other artifacts, with some works dating to 300 BCE. Styles range from folk art to realism, surrealism and Art Deco. The different periods and approaches give the galleries a broad scope, from historical objects to contemporary work.
Objects and themes to look for
The collection brings together works that differ widely in form and context. Fertility figures sit alongside historic Japanese shunga books, which were given to brides as wedding-night gifts. Other displays include sex toys, pop-culture objects and a bed carved with Kama Sutra imagery.
A recognizable film-related object is the phallic sculpture associated with Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. The museum also presents large-scale pieces among its paintings, photographs and artifacts. As you continue through the displays, the material becomes more explicit, so the galleries are not all alike in tone.
Planning a visit
The museum is at 1205 Washington Avenue in Miami Beach’s Art Deco District. The visit is self-guided, so you can spend time with the works that interest you and move through the collection at your own pace. Photography is allowed without flash.
Plan for roughly two hours to see the displays. Check the current schedule before going: the hours shown online have not always matched the hours people encountered at the door. Music from an upstairs security room has also been reported in the galleries, so the atmosphere may not be consistently quiet.
Preguntas frecuentes
Where is the World Erotic Art Museum?
It is at 1205 Washington Avenue in Miami Beach’s Art Deco District.
How long does a visit take?
Allow about two hours to tour the collection.
Can you take photos inside the museum?
Yes. Photography is allowed without flash.
Is the visit guided?
The museum can be explored independently at your own pace.
What should I check before visiting?
Check the current opening hours before you go, as reported hours have differed from the posted schedule.
