The Kings of Kink, Part 3

This is part three of an ongoing look at artists, photographers, and pornographers who have played an important role in shaping our modern gay erotic sensibilities.

    This is part three of an ongoing look at artists, photographers, and pornographers who have played an important role in shaping our modern gay erotic sensibilities. In honor of our Euro-porn issue, this installment will be completely dedicated to European porn pioneers. If you caught our first two installments in this series, you’ll remember that we already covered Tom of Finland, Ulli Richter, and Jean Genet (in case you were wondering about their glaring omissions.) In no particular order, we present a few more important European erotic artists both past and present.

THE MARQUIS DE SADE
    This debauched aristocrat and libertine who gave us the term “sadism” wasn’t known specifically for being gay, but the Marquis de Sade didn’t usually discriminate when it came to his sex and perverse pleasures. Furthermore, his arrest for “buggering” serves as proof that he at least dabbled in homosexual acts. Even though the Marquis de Sade has been turned into a sort of pop culture cartoon (and even a hero in films like Quills) it’s hard to deny the effect that his novels, short stories, plays, and political tracts – not to mention his notorious life – have had on the entire Western World’s sexual psyche. When things get kinky, the Marquis de Sade (born Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade on June 2, 1740) is usually there in the room if you look hard enough.

GEORGE DUROY OF BEL AMI
    Since founding the Bratislava-based Bel Ami Studios in 1993, George Duroy has become legendary as a gay porn director. Although the world had been admiring European twinks for years, Duroy turned them into a brand and gave birth to a huge new genre. When he playfully borrowed both his directorial nom de plume and his company name from Guy de Maupassant, he hinted at an intriguing literacy. Other than that, however, Duroy has remained more or less a mystery to fans. In less than two decades, Duroy has branched out into hardcover photography books, calendars, and websites – turning his personal passion into a gay porn empire and forever influencing gay erotica in the process.

ANNE DESCLOS, THE STORY OF O
    Also known as Dominique Aury and Pauline Réage, Anne Desclos never publicly revealed herself as author of The Story of O until 40 years after the book was published. The Story of O was born when Jean Paulhan, the boyfriend of Desclos, cavalierly stated that no woman could write a good erotic novel. To prove him wrong, she began crafting L’histoire d’O – and the shocking sado-masochistic tale was a runaway success. Even in today’s jaded Internet world, it’s a book that can never be forgotten once read – and it has branded an indelible mark on the world’s BDSM community.

KRISTEN BJORN
    Thanks to his tendency to spend long periods of time living in the countries where he makes his films, Kristen Bjorn has gained a reputation for gorgeous locations, beautiful camera work, and uniquely real and sincere sex scenes. His series of films made in Brazil and Australia are leg- endary and he has been referred to by some as the world’s greatest gay porn director. Today Kristen Bjorn continues to blur the line between art and porn as he travels around the world in search of new cultures, new experiences, and new models.
 
JEAN-DANIEL CADINOT
    Born the son of a tailor, Jean- Daniel Cadinot liked to joke that, “My father dressed people. I undressed them later on.” After his early forays into erotic art photography, he made his first film, “Scouts #1”, in 1981. During his prolific career he directed over 50 films and videos (some under the pseudonym of Tony Dark.) Cadinot’s films helped to define the euro-twink genre with unique-looking, spontaneous performers and cinematography that was as much art as porn. His films were always deeply personal and his talent and presence will be missed around the world. He passed away on April 23rd, 2008 at the age of 64 following a heart attack.

BARON WILHELM VON GLOEDEN
    In the 1930s, before there was any kind of gay movement or any overt commercial gay pornography, Wilhelm von Gloeden was making men swoon with his provocative and extremely homoerotic photographs. Simultaneously classy and erotic, von Gloeden’s work earned him a successful career as a fashion and celebrity photographer for Harpers Bazaar and Vogue. His most personal and enduring images, however, are the ones of young men. His unique style has since influenced everyone from Robert Mapplethorpe and Cecil Beaton to Andy Warhol.