French museum’s naturist exhibition welcomes nude visitors

Published Sep 02, 2024  •  Last updated 0 minutes ago  •  1 minute read

A naturist visits the exhibition "Paradis naturistes" at the Mucem museum in Marseille, south-eastern France, on Aug. 20, 2024. Photo by CHRISTOPHE SIMON /AFP via Getty Images

Museums are typically places where one sees nude artworks, but a French museum is inviting the public to view its exhibit on naturism in the buff, as well.

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Marseille’s Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations, or Mucem, said nude patrons are welcome to view its exhibition “Naturist Paradises” one evening a month during a time when the museum is normally closed.

The special museum hours are offered in partnership with the French Naturist Federation (FFN).

The exhibition features hundreds of artworks from naturist communities, and public and private collections in France and Switzerland.

“The Naturist Paradises exhibition takes you on a journey of discovery of the very first naturist communities, first in Germany and Switzerland, then in France,” the museum’s website said.

“It takes a look at the history of the pioneering naturist communities that set up in France and Switzerland in the 1920s, and also looks at how naturism is lived and practised today.”

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Two British visitors told the AFP that seeing the exhibit in the nude was a “once in a lifetime” opportunity, as nudity is not widely accepted in their home country.

“There’s not a lot of naturist stuff in England,” Kieren Parker-Hall, a web developer from Bath, told AFP, per The Guardian. “It’s cold.”

“Being naked in England is seen as something a bit bizarre, shameful,” added Alex Parry, a stained-glass artist from Bristol.

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While museum-goers are encouraged to shed their clothing during the designated hours, footwear is required due to the museum’s parquet flooring.

“It’s to avoid getting splinters,” FFN official Eric Stefanut told AFP.

The exhibition runs until Dec. 9.

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