Ingres, described by Baudelaire as a painter of « profound sensual delights », has not always been acknowledged as such by the art world. Famous for his iconic paintings of the Grande Odalisque and The Turkish Bath , Ingres was also an artist of great erotic intensity and raw sexuality-and these unsuspected facets of his oeuvre are explored here in depth and in detail.

This handful of hidden treasures, shocking enough in their time to be banished from polite society, today reward a thorough examination that opens our eyes to a new and enlightening perspective on Ingres-the artist, the man of flesh and blood, the seducer.