Unveiled Desires: Fetish & The Erotic in Surrealism, 1880–Today

13 Jan-28 Feb 2026

Overview

Richard Saltoun Gallery presents Unveiled Desires: Fetish & The Erotic in Surrealism, 1880–Today, a two-part exhibition curated by Maudji Mendel of RAW (Rediscovering Art by Women), a private collection and curatorial initiative dedicated to the work of overlooked women artists of the 20th century. 

Part 2: Erotic Surrealism – Identity, Desire, and the Body

The second instalment turns to Surrealism’s psychic landscapes, foregrounding how eroticism reveals the unconscious and shapes identity. This chapter considers eroticism as a portal into the psyche: bodies become symbols of desire and repression; dreamscapes expose the irrational; and eroticism itself emerges as a force that resists control. The result is a constellation of works where the erotic is both deeply personal and radically political.

Artists include: Eileen Agar, Denise Bellon, Mimi Benoit Parent, Mary Beth Edelson, Ruth Francken, Aligne Gagnaire, Jane Graverol, Rose Mihman, Bona de Mandiargues, DaddyBears, Anna Sampson, Juliana Seraphim, Elsa Schiaparelli, Ebun Sodipo, Suzanne Van Damme, and others.