Produced by The New Tropic Creative Studio
“Quarantine Nudes” by Kevin Berlin
Give us the lowdown on the museum: where’s it located, how’d it come to be, and what’s its significance locally and globally?
Founded in 2005 by Naomi Wilzig, WEAM is the only museum in the United States devoted exclusively to fine erotic art. In a remarkably short time for a continually private collection, WEAM has developed one of the world’s most renowned permanent museums for this genre, gathering 400 works and many more to come.
Located in the heart of South Beach (1205 Washington Avenue), the WEAM collection includes works of international art, ranging from 300 BCE to the immediate present. Alongside its mission to familiarize the general public with erotic art, the WEAM’s other prime objective is to present works of erotic art of the highest quality from diverse cultures and embrace responsibility to engage and educate the community.
Have any special programming or events coming up?
You can start off Miami Art Week at WEAM with the opening reception on Nov. 28 for our four new exhibitions:
Kevin Berlin’s Quarantine Nudes
Berlin’s Quarantine Nudes revisits the classical nude with spontaneity and directness, following the Renaissance tradition of drawing from life as the basis for expression and the development of ideas. Created shortly after the end of quarantine in Italy in 2020, Quarantine Nudes explores themes such as vulnerability, desire, and hidden thoughts portrayed in a palette of mostly black and white with touches of vibrant color.
Jamie McCartney’s The Great Wall of Vulva
McCartney’s The Great Wall of Vulva is made from casts of 400 women’s vulvas — spectacle and education combined. The sculpture spans 26 feet in length and features participants aged 18 to 76, including mothers and daughters, identical twins, trans men and women, women pre- and post-natal, pre- and post-labiaplasty, and many others. The Great Wall of Vulva is a celebration of vulva diversity.
The Kinsey Institute, the premier research institute on human sexuality and relationships, is celebrating their 75th anniversary this year. In celebration of this milestone, WEAM is honored to collaborate with the Institute and present two of their most popular exhibitions:
Austin Osman Spare’s Psychopathia Sexualis
(Guest Exhibition from the Kinsey Institute, curated by Rebecca Fasman, Ryan M. Pfeiffer, and Rebecca Walz)
Psychopathia Sexualis premiered at Iceberg Projects in Chicago as the artist’s first solo show in North America. This landmark exhibition celebrates the centennial anniversary of a rare folio of erotic drawings from the Kinsey Institute’s Library and Special Collections. The works on display depict numerous tableaus of a grotesque bacchanalia featuring monstrous figures, satyroi, animals, and portraits of Spare himself. The unveiling of this folio contributes 44 new works to the oeuvre of Austin Osman Spare (1886–1956).
Emilio Sanchez’s Intimate Forms
(Guest Exhibition from the Kinsey Institute, curated by Rebecca Fasman)
Intimate Forms features the work of Emilio Sanchez, a Cuban-born artist who moved to the United States in the late 1930s. Sanchez is best known for his drawings and paintings of architecture and built spaces, especially of Cuba before the revolution. His spare, colorful style filters out every extraneous detail to focus on shape, color, and form, creating bold geometric works that are instantly recognizable as his. This exhibition is generously supported by the Emilio Sanchez Foundation.
Click here to get your ticket for WEAM’s Miami Art Week opening reception.
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