Michael Rosen has been doing sexual photography in San Francisco since 1977. His photos have encompassed a wide range of styles: stark and grainy nude landscapes; impressionistic, gritty, cinema verité images of S&M sex scenes; sharply focused, elegantly composed, studio sexual portraits involving S&M, erotic piercings, gender play and what he calls, "non-standard penetration". This latest work comprises soft and romantic images of explicit sex that challenge the concept of pornography, using the digital computer to enhance but not falsify. He photographs real people, not models, and is always looking for individuals, couples or groups of all genders, races, ages and persuasions who want to share their sexual energy.

In 1997, Mr. Rosen was a recipient of the Venus Award. He has had numerous solo and group exhibitions of his work nationwide, and has been showcased in many magazines. His books include, Sexual Magic: the S&M Photographs, 1986, Sexual Portraits: Photographs of Radical Sexuality, 1990, Sexual Art: Photographs That Test the Limits, 1994 and Lust & Romance: Rated X Fine Art Photographs, 1998.

Published Books:

1998 Lust & Romance: Rated X Fine Art Photographs (Last Gasp of SF)
Sexual Art: Photographs That Test the Limits(Alixe, Paris)
1994 Sexual Art: Photographs That Test the Limits (Shaynew Press, SF)
1990 Sexual Portraits: Photographs of Radical Sexuality (Shaynew Press, SF)
1986 Sexual Magic: the S/M Photographs (Shaynew Press, SF)


One and two person shows

2005 Vanilla Sex 2005, Center For Sex and Culture, SF
2005 Sexual Art, Stormy Leather, SF
2005 Sexual Magic, The Citadel, SF
2002 25 Years of Sexual Art, Mark I. Chester Gallery, SF

2002 Lust & Romance, Art
@ Large, New York City
2001 Lust & Romance, Stormy Leather, San Francisco
2000 Lust & Romance, Passion Flower, Piedmont, CA
1999 Lust & Romance, Good Vibrations, San Francisco
1998 Lust & Romance, 848 Community Space, San Francisco
1996 San Francisco Open Studios, Shaynew Studio, San Francisco
1995 Sexual Art, Mark I. Chester Gallery, San Francisco Sexual Art, Rita Dean Gallery, San Diego
1994 Good Vibrations, San Francisco
1991 Stormy Leather, San Francisco
1989 Visible Spectrum, San Francisco
1988 Sexual Portraits, Mark I. Chester Gallery, San Francisco
1987 Two Jewish Boys Photograph Sex South-of-Market, Mark I. Chester Gallery, SF
1985 Himovitz/Salomon Gallery, Sacramento
1984 Inside/Outside: Two views of Radical Sexuality, Mark I. Chester Gallery, SF Nathan Hart Gallery, San Francisco
1983 Exposé, San Francisco University of Denver, Denver
1982 Simon Gallery, Montclair, New Jersey


Selected Group Shows

2005 Erotic Show, City Art Gallery, SF
2005 Erotic Show, Shooting Gallery, SF
2003 Six On Sex, Mark I. Chester Gallery, SF
2003 PhotoSex, Mark I. Chester Gallery, SF
2003 Assorted Flavors, Sacred Profanities Gallery, Berkeley
2001 Mammoth Book of Erotic Photography Show, Greely Square Gallery, NYC
1999 Edge: 20 Years of BD/SM Photography, Sacred Body Art Gallery, NYC
1998 L A Nude VI, Photo Impact, Hollywood
1997 Sex and Subversion, Rita Dean Gallery, San Diego
1996 Gender Affects, Indiana Univ. Fine Arts Gallery, Bloomington
1995 Sex Sells, Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco
1994 Art in the Age of AIDS, National Gallery, Canberra, Australia
The Erotica Show, Photographic Image Gallery, Portland
Rated X, Neikrug Gallery, New York (Libido Magazine)
1993 The Dick Show, 848 Community Space, San Francisco
Rated X, Neikrug Gallery, New York
Erotic Photo Show, Dressing For Pleasure, Upper Montclair, NJ


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