Félicien Rops: Laboratory of Desires

A master of Belgian Symbolism, rediscovered.

F licien Rops's (1833-98) erotic works remain provocative today--in the nineteenth century, they transgressed every boundary of art. With a keen eye and a sharp pen, Rops exposed the hypocrisies of the respectable middle class. "I am Rops, and I wish to be no other " he declared and adhered to this maxim throughout his life.

The most poisonous berry of Symbolism, a scourge of the bourgeoisie--many terms have been used to describe Rops's radical art. Celebrated by writers such as Charles Baudelaire and Joris-Karl Huysmans, he was a transgressive figure who deliberately aimed his works against the double standards of bourgeois society. His pictures, which represent a high point of printmaking and draftsmanship from the period, invite a critical examination of fin-de-si cle social attitudes, particularly with regard to gender roles.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 377744748X
• ISBN13: 9783777447483
• Release Date: June 2026
• Publisher: Hirmer Verlag GmbH
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.