Black Venus

Wealthy art collector Jacques visits Madame Lili's Parisian brothel and encounters Venus, a black Martinican woman he once knew. The recognition stirs memories of their past and of the statue she inspired. The moment anchors the present conflict around Venus and Armand's legacy.

In a flashback, Jacques introduces Venus to Armand, a gifted but impoverished sculptor. Armand persuades Venus to become his art model and lover, and his fixation on her grows as he works on the statue. The seeds of obsession are sown in this meeting.

To help Armand pay the rent, Venus works as a model for the dressmaker Madame Jean. While she models, Armand's obsession with Venus and the sculpture becomes more intense and unstable. The line between art and possession begins to blur.

Armand's jealousy and escalating violence push Venus to leave him. She moves into Marie's home, living as a kept woman. The breakup marks a turning point in her fate.

During a society ball, Marie's husband Pierre returns home and discovers Venus in his house. He orders Venus to have sex with Louise, a 17-year-old girl he has seduced, and then invites several party guests to rape Louise. The horrific incident drives Venus to flee.

Venus escapes the scene and returns to work for Madame Jean, resuming her career as a model. The trauma of the night pushes her back into the world she left behind. Her return re-enters her into the cycle of modeling and exploitation.

Venus later meets Louise, who has become a prostitute at Madame Lili's brothel. Louise persuades Venus to join her there, offering companionship and shared survival in that world. The two women's fates become intertwined through this decision.

In the present, Jacques tells Venus that Armand has finished the statue of Venus, but refuses to sell it due to his destitution and illness. The sculpture becomes a trapped object tied to both lovers and the memory of their past. Jacques's reluctance to buy sets up the next confrontation.

Jacques goes to Armand's studio, pressures him with money, and takes the statue of Venus. He then buys Venus and Louise's contracts from Madame Lili and brings both women to his house in Spain, where the statue is installed. The act marks a decisive undermining of the past relationships for a new future.

Armand, having suffered a severe breakdown, follows Jacques to Spain to reclaim Venus and the statue at gunpoint. His pursuit escalates the tension and threatens the security Jacques has built around the statue. The confrontation moves from memory into a deadly present.

When Venus refuses to yield to Armand's demand, he shoots her and then kills himself. His last words ask Jacques to take care of 'her', leaving ambiguous whether he meant Venus or the statue. The ending centers on the haunting question of who is truly protected by care.