Best of Erotica
Photographs by Tony Ward
Erotic Short Story by Thor Kunkel

bio / exhibition

Cataloging his first ten years of work, Tony Ward's recent book Best of Erotica presents more than 250 of Ward’s most prolific and enticing images. From the painterly tones of his color work to gritty black-and-white, Westonesque portraits to truly uninhibited encounters, Helmut Newton glamorous to red-light district tawdry, this collection shows why Tony Ward has become a household name in the world of erotica.

Tony Ward first threw himself into erotic art by photographing his wife and first muse, Sandy. Ward soon began branching out, looking for models who would travel to his Philadelphia studio to pose for his camera and indulge their own exhibitionism. As he discovered that “Philadelphia may have been founded by the Quakers but is currently occupied by hedonists” new models were soon arriving in droves. Ward’s reputation as a practitioner of erotica grew and grew, but America’s Puritan past took notice and his corporate clients trickled away. Undaunted, Ward pursued his passions, finally meeting the legendary photography agent Henrietta Brackman. Although unable to take Ward on, Brackman was impressed by his powerful images and recommended him to the German agent Ursula Kreis. After a whirlwind of attention in Europe, Ward’s distinctive brand of erotic art found another eager patron, but this time back in the U.S with Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione. With his no-holds-barred approach to sex, Guccione quickly became Ward’s biggest fan and patron, publishing numerous portfolios in his magazine and bringing Ward international renown.

Tony Ward's work has been exhibited at Leo Castelli Gallery, New York; Les Larmes d'Eros, Paris; the Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe and Galerie fuer Fotografie, Hamburg; Donkersloot Gallery, Amsterdam; Prinz Gallery, Tokyo; and Nesbitt Design Arts Gallery at Drexel University, Philadelphia. Ward is included in the permanent collections of the Museum fur Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt; the Eastman Kodak Collection, Rochester; and the Instituto Cultural Banco Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, to name a few. His books include Best of Erotica (6X6.com, 2004), Orgasm XL (Editions Alixe, 2002), Tableaux Vivants (Editions Stemmle, 2002), Orgasm (Editions Alixe, 2000) and Obsessions (Editions Stemmle, 1998). Ward's work has been featured in Penthouse, Playboy, German GQ, Men’s Health, Style Monte Carlo, Salon, Stern, and Nerve.com. He lives in Pennsylvania.

exhibition
The powerHouse Gallery
68 Charlton Street
February 10–12, 2005