In the world of erotic art it takes a lot to distinguish your own particular style from the thousands of others in the same field that also want to show sex and nudity. Toshio Saeki is one of those artists whose style is so distinct you can look at a piece and immediately think 'yep, that's one of his, alright.' Even if you've never heard of him before, there's a chance you might have seen some of his art online, usually in the form of memes. But he's been around a lot longer than you may think.

Born in 1945 in Miyazaki prefecture, Saeki was raised in Osaka before moving to Tokyo in 1969. Japanese society changed a lot in the coming decade, especially when it came to sexuality and its associated taboos. Prostitution was more popular than ever and lewd magazines such as Heibon Punch existed not only to please men but to show girls what gets guys off. Saeki's work was first printed in Heibon Punch, showing his unique blend of horror, surrealism, erotica, and dark humour juxtaposed with traditional Japanese art and mythology. His rise to fame came pretty quickly: in 1970 he published 50 drawings, released an artbook, did a show in Paris and in 1972 his art was featured on the cover of the album Some Time in New York City by John Lennon and Yoko Ono (alongside a song whose title really didn't age well). 

While he had achieved widespread acclaim, Saeki preferred to keep his work underground. Many galleries and art institutions refused to show his art, and by avoiding the mainstream he figured he could have all the artistic freedom he wanted. It was only recently that his work had been recognised by big names in the art world. For example, New York's Jeffrey Ditch gallery currently shows his huge wall painting from 2018 titled Ureshi Daruma.

On January 15 2020 it was confirmed that he had passed away at the age of 74. The cause of death is still unknown, but the world of Japanese erotica has lost a truly inimitable voice. His commendable ethos is best summed up in a quote from an interview with Dazed in 2013: "Leave other people to draw seemingly beautiful flowers that bloom within a nice, pleasant-looking scenery. I try instead to capture the vivid flowers that sometimes hide and sometimes grow within a shameless, immoral and horrifying dream.”

Click here if you'd like to check out more of his weird & wonderful art. Have you seen any of Toshio Saeki's work before? What do you think of his style? Let us know below!