Nudes tend to be more frequently found on canvases than in front of them, but a Paris museum has changed that. It is the first time a gallery in the city has welcomed naked visitors.
Image: Reuters/C. Platiau
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Paris' Palais de Tokyo contemporary art museum on Saturday granted access to nudist visitors for a free tour during special visiting hours.
It is the first time a gallery in the French capital has held such a naturist event. The tour was attended by some 160 unclothed people, with the event sold out in under two days.
The tour took place before the main opening hours for the museum.
"The naturists' way of life is to be naked. Culture is part of our daily life, and this is a special opportunity," Julien Claude-Penegry, communications director of the Paris Naturists Association, told Reuters news agency.
"Today, the mentality is changing. Naturists ... are pushing past barriers, taboos or mentalities that were obstructive," he added.
Art buffs in the buff at the Palais de TokyoImage: Reuters/C. Platiau
Enhancing the experience
In an interview with the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, the vice chairman of the association, Cedric Amato, said being naked while looking at art could heighten the experience, because "you no longer think about what you represent in society."
"When you are naked, you can concentrate completely on the art," he told the paper.
The organization advertised the event on its Twitter account, saying "the practice of naturism is a true necessity, especially in urban space. This breaks with society's codes and improves its well-being."
The association says there are 2.6 million naturists in France, of whom 88,000 live in Paris.
Paris has recently implemented other naturist projects, with nudists being allotted a designated patch in the Bois de Vincennes park in the east of the city, and getting their own restaurant, named "O'naturel."
The Paris event is not unique in the world. In 2013, a gallery in Vienna invited visitors to strip off while viewing an exhibit of paintings of male nudity, and in 2015, the National Gallery of Australia also offered people the chance to get in the buff to look at works by the American artist James Turrell.
One photographer and 200 naked men fighting for diversity
Romanian photographer Tiberiu Capudean captured black and white portraits of more than 200 naked gay men. By telling their stories, he is taking a stance against homophobia, racism and body shaming.
Image: Tiberiu Capudean
Y. - Tailor, French
"My father was born between the two World Wars. I never told him about my sexuality. I never told my mother, either. I studied medicine. After graduation I fell in love with a man ... my family thought that he was my best friend. Unfortunately, he died 16 years later. I work as a tailor now. I'm happy that nowadays in France men can marry other men. I think it should have been possible long ago."
Image: Tiberiu Capudean
J. - Shop Attendant, Spanish
"I grew up in a Spanish village. I was bullied a lot in school. When I was about 13, an older boy approached me while I was sitting on my bench, reading. He told me 'You're filthy!' And the next thing you know, he poured a bottle of chocolate milk on me. I was shocked. I just stood there, all wet, while the ones around me laughed and looked at me as if I had been a monster."
Image: Tiberiu Capudean
S. - IT Project Manager and Massage Therapist, German
"It was much harder for me to deal with my father's reaction. He started to yell at me, making it clear that I, as his son, would always be welcome, but my boyfriend wouldn't be allowed in the house. I could not breathe. I cried ... I stopped contacting him for eight years, and later, thanks to his wife, except for my first boyfriend, all my boyfriends would join me for visits."
Image: Tiberiu Capudean
A. - Fashion Designer, Spanish
"I am not invisible. Or am I? I work in a very 'machista' environment. And even though nobody bullies me personally, I see what happens to the younger, more effeminate gay guys I work with. What does 'masculine' mean? Do we all have to be young and strong? Do we all have to be muscular? Are we just an object of desire?"
Image: Tiberiu Capudean
D. - IT Manager, Belgian
"When I was living at home with my parents, I worked night shifts at the local bakery. Three days after I had come out to my parents, I drove back home and went to sleep in the early morning. My mother walked into my room all freaked out and asked 'Who did you tell you're that way?' Somebody had written the word 'homo' on the hood of my car ... I took it as a badge of honor."
Image: Tiberiu Capudean
M. - Rugby Player, Spanish
"When people discover I am bisexual, a common reaction is to tell me how lucky I am, because I have a whole world of possibilities to choose from. However, reality is quite different and being bisexual has often been an obstacle for a relationship. Frequently, I am questioned when was the last time I was with a girl, as if I had to prove that I am still what I am."
Image: Tiberiu Capudean
D. - Actor, Dancer and Director, Romanian
"I was in a supermarket with my boyfriend. We were going to the movies, so we bought two bottles of water, some snacks and a chocolate. And we were queuing, waiting to pay. Suddenly, behind me I hear: 'Gay, Gay!' I could have told him lots of things. But I kept my calm, since this type of behavior often leads to violence.
Image: Tiberiu Capudean
S. - Illustrator, Spanish
"One night, I was in a park in Coruna, talking to a friend. Suddenly, seven hooded guys surrounded us, started to beat us up and call us 'faggots.' We fought back, but during the quarrel, one of the guys stabbed me in the back twice."
Image: Tiberiu Capudean
D. - Sales Manager, Italian
"I’ve always been a 'fatty.' I became hairy at 14. Kids at school would often make fun of me. Growing up in a small Italian town, I never declared my sexual orientation. At 30, I left Italy to live in France, in the perspective of a better gay life. One day I had a sort of crisis and I waxed my entire body. I was so sad. Today I try to accept myself and be happy with the body I have."
Image: Tiberiu Capudean
C. - Shop Supervisor, Spanish
"I went to the movies with my sisters, mother and aunt to see '50 Shades of Gray'. When the movie ended, two girls between 20 and 25 years called me 'faggot' out of the blue ... I didn't think that people still do that in 2018. Especially young people. My younger sister confronted them. A young straight couple also told them off and threatened to call the police. The girls ran away."
Image: Tiberiu Capudean
S. - Actor, French
"Abroad. Eastern Europe. I was staying in a very old woman's apartment, in a poor faded tower of a grey suburb. She invited her grandson for me to meet. We drank vodka. Lots of vodka, directly from the bottle. He started to talk about what a family is and should be. 'Faggots. They all should die.' What do I think about that? 'I don’t know,' I said (lying). 'I never really thought about them'"
Image: Tiberiu Capudean
Tiberiu Capudean, Romanian photographer and LGBT activist
"The fact that the men are naked in these pictures is the least important aspect. My aim was to show that diversity is something normal, whether it comes to sexual orientation, body shape, age or race."