“Nudity has always existed and bodies should not be a source of shame for anyone” said one participant.
Life refected art at the weekend when a Barcelona museum opened its doors to nudists. Wearing nothing but shoes, they were treated to a tour of photographs of statues of naked warriors.
Marta, a 59-year-old health worker and naturist, said: “[I feel] the same intensity as observing it with clothes on, but with the difference that we might understand better that nudity has always existed and bodies should not be a source of shame for anyone.”
The Museum of Archaeology of Catalonia held the 90-minute tour in collaboration with the Catalan Naturism Club.
Tour guide Edgard explained the exhibit to the group while also clothes-free. “We wanted to make it a more colourful visit and not the typical guided tour,” he said.
“We wanted people who came to see it to feel exactly the same as the work they were looking at”.
The visitor were there to see the Bronzes of Riace exhibition of Luigi Spina’s photographs. They depict two large Greek bronze statues of naked warriors from the 5th century BC that were discovered in 1972 near Riace in Italy.
The museum’s website promised visitors the chance to “admire the works by posing in the same situation as they are, completely naked and surrounded by other bodies”.
Nudists are not always welcome at tourist attractions.
Earlier this year, two European tourists were thrown out of Machu Picchu on Thursday for taking nude photos. Read the full story here.