In October 1976, the Italian edition of Playboy published a legendary and sought-after pictorial titled . The feature contained 18 total shots:
: In 2012, a Paris court ordered Irina Ionesco to pay €10,000 in damages and hand over the negatives of explicit photographs taken of Eva between the ages of 4 and 12.
: Images taken from the set of the film Spermula . eva ionesco playboy 1976 italian131 portable
The 1976 Italian edition of Playboy, particularly the October issue often associated with the designation "No. 131" in collector circles, remains one of the most controversial and legally fraught publications in the history of the magazine. This specific issue featured 11-year-old Eva Ionesco, making her the youngest model to ever appear in a nude pictorial for the adult publication.
Today, the October 1976 Italian issue of Playboy is a highly sought-after item for collectors of vintage magazines and cinematic history, often sold through private or discrete listings due to its controversial nature. It is frequently cited as the issue that "transformed Eva into a legend," albeit one rooted in a dark and legally complex period of cultural history . In October 1976, the Italian edition of Playboy
: She made her film debut in The Tenant (1976), directed by Roman Polanski, and appeared in other 1970s films like Maladolescenza . Market and Rarity
While Eva's mother, Irina Ionesco , is the photographer most famously linked to Eva's early career, it was the Bourboulon set that appeared in this specific Playboy issue. The 1976 Italian edition of Playboy, particularly the
: She directed the 2011 film My Little Princess , which was semi-autobiographical and explored the complex, exploitative relationship between a photographer mother and her young daughter.
The publication ignited a scandal that lasted decades. Eva Ionesco eventually sued her mother, Irina, for "emotional distress" and a "stolen childhood".