Erotic themes have long proved an appealing subject for both artists and their patrons. Erotic art has at times been created with the intent to arouse the viewer, to express the power of the artist or the owner, or to serve as amusements. Many ancient cultures created erotic art, for example, ancient Greeks made vases showing pederastic relationships between adult men and young boys. Researchers also discovered an ancient Egyptian papyrus, known as the Turin Erotic Papyrus, with illustrations of sexual positions. Beginning around 1600, Japanese artists produced erotic woodblock prints, known as shunga. Shunga featured graphic depictions of sexual acts between men and women, and occasionally same-sex couples. In the Italian Renaissance, Greek and Roman mythology presented ample subject matter for artists wishing to paint the erotic. Depictions abounded of Jupiter taking on various forms, a swan, a cloud, an eagle, to seduce various unsuspecting mortals, painted and drawn by great masters like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Correggio, and Titian.

In a contemporary context, erotic imagery is often used to provoke viewers or to critique prudish societal standards. Photographer Robert Mapplethorpe documented the New York BDSM scene of the 1970s in a graphic series that angered conservative politicians because of the unabashedly homoerotic nature of the work. In the 1970s and 80s, many artists created work around these themes, including Keith Haring and Tom of Finland. Other contemporary artists who explore erotic themes in their work include John Currin, Ghada Amer, Nobuyoshi Araki, Natasha Law and Lisa Yuskavage.