| Summary: | Habib Benglia exemplified the way theatre and music hall industry eroticized the black body. Sensuality always played a great part in the characters he embodied. At the beginning of the Twentieth century, a time when “Negro” dance and music became a cultural trend, the Black was perceived as lascivious. The artist was expunged and reduced to his body expression, notably its erotic potential. Not only was Benglia himself praised for his flawless plastic and, compared to antique statues, but also the characters he performed were deeply influenced by the stereotypes of his time, such as polygamy, orgy and, more generally, a reckless sexual appetite. This reveals why the Blacks fascinated European audiences as a source of fear and fantasy and a symbol of a newly conquered freedom and desirable nature.
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