You're Sexy, Miss Naomi

The town is abuzz and agog over the opening this weekend of The World Erotic Art Museum. Typical of a private venture, this closely guarded secret just got out a last week. To no one's surprise, though, it is right around the corner from The Palace and for some time I had noticed work going on in the vast space on the second floor of 1205 Washington Avenue, but thought,
"Another graphics office another legal firm." But, no, it was the construction and installation of the World Erotic Art Museum.

It is the dream come true of Miss Naomi (Naomi Wilzig), a Jewish grandmother and Miami Beach philanthropist whose 4000-piece collection of erotic art will occupy the 12,000 square feet space. She likes to go by the name of "Miss Naomi" so as to not embarrass her banker husband.

In addition to raising money, I am good at tracking people down and with the opening days away I sent out the message to every manager and server in town to pass me word of anyone involved in the museum. Sure enough, at 7:30pm last night in a torrential downpour, I got a call from The Diner (of course--it is just one block away from the museum); "The PR man is here having coffee." Well, there was no time to get the carriage ready, so I unhitched a horse and rode bareback in the rain to The Diner and introduced myself to Mr. Gary, an unassuming gentleman from Kentucky who is helping Miss Naomi, but was obviously not fine-tuned in Beach activity. (We will correct that today.)

This is what I learned has been set up in display of erotic art dating from centuries before Christ to the Present. Rooms devoted to:
Art Deco and Nouveau/ African-New Guinea/India, China, & Japan/ The Americas/ Perfumery/ European (the largest, naturally)/Lesbian and Gay/ Gay/ Folk Art (!) and Black/Surrealism/ a room for Satyrs, Adam & Eve, Catherine the Great, Lady Godiva, and Leda and the Swan, / a room of shelves containing erotic sculptures and figurines of animals, pipes, and even erotic watches.

And before you even feast your eyes on all this we will be greeted by nude dancers around a fountain at the entrance. Pinch me, because it seems like a dream or I might have died in my sleep and gone to heaven (well, maybe not there).

I'm organizing another benefit today at The Palace, but will be allotting some time to Mr. Gary and Miss Naomi. I have a feeling this is going to be quite memorable.

Addendum: 12:58PM. I just got bacck from a private tour of The Museum (thank you, Mr.G).
It's hard to imagine owning 4000 pieces of art, let alone erotic art. I left stammering to myself.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/front/12898596.htm