Name Naomi Wilzig | ||
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Died April 7, 2015, Miami, Florida, United States | ||
Naomi wilzig of the world erotic art museum
Naomi Wilzig (December 5, 1934 – April 7, 2015) was an American writer and art collector. She was the director and owner of the World Erotic Art Museum in Miami, and had a particular interest in the world of erotic art.
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Early years
Born in Newark, New Jersey, Wilzig graduated from Weequahic High School in Newark and attended Montclair State Teachers College. In 1956 she married Siggi Wilzig, an Auschwitz survivor who later became CEO and President of The Trust Company of New Jersey. The Wilzigs lived most of their married life in Clifton, New Jersey, and had three children: Ivan, Alan, and Sherry. In 2005, following her husband's death in 2003, Wilzig moved to Miami Beach, Florida.
Collection
In 1983 Wilzig began collecting erotic art for herself. Between 2003 and 2005 she accumulated more than 4,000 pieces from around the world. Her personal collection became the base of the World Erotic Art Museum in Miami Beach. According to the New York Times, the collection includes "Kama Sutra temple carvings from India, peek-a-boo Victorian figurines that flash their booties, and a prop from the sexual thriller 'A Clockwork Orange'".
Museum
In 2006, on the first anniversary of WEAM, Wilzig was honored with the Key to the City of Miami Beach. In 2011, the City of Miami Beach proclaimed October 16 "World Erotic Art Museum Day" in honor of Wilzig's museum's fifth anniversary.
On May 12, 2011, The Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality presented Wilzig with "Doctor of Arts Honors Causa Sexuality/Erotology. In 2011 she was chosen as Business Person of the year by the Greater Miami Gay/Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.