It has become something of a cliché to say that erotic art is as old as art itself. What is true is that many artists throughout history have addressed in their work aspects of human sexuality as an important part of the human experience. Most of these artists are anonymous to us, as their names have been lost to history — from ancient Roman fresco painters, to potters of pre–Inca Peru, to sculptors of medieval Indian temples. Nevertheless, the names of some artists are available to us, primarily, but not exclusively, from the Western world in the last three centuries. The Dictionary of Erotic Artists identifies named individuals who are thought to have made some contribution to the history of erotic art.
