ERIC GILL (1882-1940) is one of the major erotic artists of the 20th century, and one of the key British modern artists. Gill is still a controversial figure in art. His personal life was notorious for its sexual relationships. Wyndham Lewis called his work 'excellent and ribald', while influential critic Roger Fry, one of Gill's supporters, said Gill's sculpture was 'the outcome of a desire to express something felt in the adventure of human life.'

For Eric Gill, eroticism was a vital part of life, and should be openly displayed in...