Nigel Kent was born in 1933 in Australia, and studied art in Sydney before leaving for England in 1959 to build a career as an artist. Kent moved to Amsterdam in 1973, delving deeper into the leather and S/M scenes, feeling right at home in this new world -­ and the role of a Master. In 1978 he began making homoerotic drawings under the pseudonym of James D. He got to know RoB, and quite soon was having his first exhibition at RoB's gallery.

Inspired by Tom of Finland's work, Kent put aside his work in sculpture and turned to drawing. "I said to myself, I can do that too," and the subsequent sale of his first drawing lifted the artist out of a severe depression. During the next twelve years Kent, now working under his own name, created a large body of S/M drawings, erotic postcards, portraits of leathermen, and -­ last but not least -­ his "still life" images of male crotches. A growing list of exhibitions followed ­ first in Holland, then throughout Europe, and eventually the United States. The artist's work also appeared in leading S/M magazines such as Drummer, Toy and Mr. SM.

During the latter part of the artist's stay in Belgium, the Gulf Crisis occurred and the art world collapsed. Kent returned to Amsterdam in 1993, where, encouraged by his partner, he continued to make erotic drawings. Janssen Press published a book of Kent's drawings titled "Der Mann in Kunst" in 1994.

Kent is also a published author. Writing under the nom de plume "Dik Staal," his erotic stories have been published in France, Germany and America. Kent unapologetically describes his writing as "truly pornographic" -­ executed solely for the physical arousal of the reader. Conversely, he characterizes his drawings as "erotic" -­ they are made to appeal to the imagination. Technical perfection in both anatomy and detail is a defining characteristic of Kent's work. Quite often, however, the face is absent in the image. The reason for this is not, as often assumed, to lend an anonymous, and therefore tougher, character to the drawing. Instead, it allows the viewer the opportunity to enter the fantasy world that he is viewing.