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Madonna auctioning off photographs from erotic coffee table book

Photographs from Madonna's controversial coffee table book will go under the hammer in New York City in October.

Titled Madonna x Meisel - The SEX Photographs, the auction will feature erotic photos taken from the pop star's 1992 photo book SEX - a collaboration with photographer Steven Meisel.

Ahead of the auction, a curated selection of photographs will also go on display at Christie's London between 23 May and 2 June, Christie's Paris between 27 June and 6 July and Christie's New York from 30 September until the auction on 6 October.

More than 40 of the iconic book's photographs will go under the hammer during the auction. A portion of the proceeds from the sale will benefit Madonna's non-profit organisation Raising Malawi.

"In the intervening 30 years since her infamous SEX book was released - shot exclusively in collaboration with Meisel - what has become clear is how truly iconic those photographs remain," said Darius Himes, Christie's Deputy Chairman and International Head of Photographs. "They sit at a moment in art history of the late 20th century that both summarizes a moment, playful and prescient, and hints at the future of public stardom driven by image-conscious figures. These images are nothing short of brilliant."

At the time of its release, SEX became the fastest-selling coffee table book of all time. It was reissued in 2022 in collaboration with iconic fashion house Saint Laurent.

The book sparked controversy upon its release thanks to the explicit photos of Madonna, now 64, in which she introduced her dominatrix character Mistress Dita.

The images also featured the Vogue singer with rappers Big Daddy Kane and Vanilla Ice, as well as model Naomi Campbell and gay porn star Joey Stefano.

Photo: Cover Media
Source: Cover Media
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