Maude’s Brâncuși-inspired sex toys are on display in Paris

Éva Goicochea founded New York-based sex and wellness brand Maude in 2018, revolutionizing the existing intimate health market with “quality, simplicity and inclusivity.” Today it is one of the leading names in the industry, backed by Dakota Johnson (who is also Co-Creative Director of Goicochea).

Maude launched in the UK in 2022. Last year (2023), its gender-neutral toys and lubricants were the first of their kind to hit shelves at Sephora. Beautiful enough not to be hidden in a drawer, the design-oriented devices reflect a progressive and contemporary approach to sexuality. So it was only a matter of time before they were exhibited in a gallery. Last week (October 15, 2024), the “Vibe” personal massager and “Spot” vibrator became part of a new exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris called “Private Lives: From the Bedroom to Social Media.”

Maude’s design-focused sex devices are on display at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris

(Image credit: Courtesy of Maude)

Curated by Christine Macel, MAD’s museum director, Maude also co-sponsored the exhibition with L’Oréal, which traces the history of “privacy” from the 18th century to the present day. This is done through 470 different works, from paintings and photographs to decorative and everyday art objects, on 12 different themes, including “Women and Privacy,” “Intimate Beauty and Fragrance,” “Promiscuity and Isolation,” and “Intimacy and Sexuality.” .

“Maude’s benefit to the world lies in design and I believe in the ability of art to create change,” Goiochea tells Wallpaper*. “When I started thinking about launching Maude, I noticed that there was quite a luxurious take on the sexual wellbeing space. And then the other end of the scale was more crass and commercial. But there was nothing in between. “It’s no wonder this topic can make us so uncomfortable when we are asked to be different when we approach the topic.”

The Maude devices in “Private Lives: From the Bedroom to Social Media” (which sit in a glass case next to Hitachi’s “Magic Wand”) reference the smooth, smoothly contoured bronze and wood sculptures of Constantin Brâncuși. Goiochea credits her mother, an art educator, as crucial in shaping her relationship with art and design. That exposure, coupled with her background in health care law, led to a lightbulb moment during her visit to MoMA: Why not create “sex toys” inspired by modernist art?

“Historically, this category has deviated widely.” [the idea of beauty]. Our mantra is that sexuality doesn’t have to be so disconnected from all other parts of your life. “When functional things are also beautiful, you experience a completely different level of appreciation,” she says. “You then use that as an opportunity.” [open] Conversations.’

(Image credit: Courtesy of Maude)

However, this is not the first time that Goiochea has collaborated with a museum. Last December, she and Johnson made their curatorial debut at the Museum of Sex Miami with “Modern Sex: 100 Years of Design and Decency,” an exhibition that focuses on artifacts, historical media and medical objects that speak to this field.