The miniseries Look but Don't Touch from the ARTE-Mediathek deals with eroticism in works of art from classical European painting. In a total of 10 episodes, each four minutes long, the author, art historian and comedienne Hortense Belhôte reveals with wit and knowledge the sometimes more, sometimes less subtle erotic metaphors of greats such as Manet, Michelangelo, Perugino, Tizian, and Vermeer. Among other things, she recreates scenes that allude to the erotic messages in the works of art and thus brings the sexual allusions of the Old Masters into the present through everyday situations, for example on the football pitch, in the laundrette or while walking through a cemetery. Eroticism in the paintings of the classical European and above all male artists is not limited to women, however; men, gods, animals and other beings also become objects of desire, which Belhôte takes up in an entertaining way as well. Look but Don't Touch is expected to be available in the ARTE-Mediathek until 2024.
Dive deeper into the art world
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Collecting as a Mirror of Time
Augsburg, Schaezlerpalais
Golden times: The Fuggers as patrons of the arts
On the 500th anniversary of Jakob Fugger's death on December 30, the Schaezlerpalais is commemorating him as a patron of the arts: the wealthy merchant family commissioned numerous artists of their time. The exhibition Art’s Rich Heritage: Jakob Fugger and his Legacy runs until April 12, 2026, in Augsburg.
December 17, 2025