Venus: French Exotic Girls

In keeping with the current retro chic boom, French pin-up girl images of the 50's and 60's have become highly sought after both for their bent toward eroticism and as inspiration for today's photographers. Proliferating during the heyday of nude and glamour magazines, these images were precursors to the coming changes in societal mores and sexual expression. This book is the second of two volumes assembled by noted Japanese editor and art director Makoto Orui; and like its predecessor, L'Amour: French Glamour Girls, Venus presents us with an intriguing look at the sensual side of postwar French culture. These are subtle yet powerfully erotic photographs, alluring in their quiet, daylight settings and classically posed models, whose aura lies in their natural, imperfect beauty -- a beauty that has mostly been disregarded by the narrow standards of today's mainstream aesthetic. This fascinating and exquisitely reproduced book features over 150 photographs by artists from different countries, as well as a special jacket designed as a pin-up.