In the sun-soaked coastal city of Marseille, France, one museum has invited visitors to explore an exhibit on nudity while shedding their own clothes.
The Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations Marseille (Mucem) has opened its doors to naturists and nudists, offering a unique opportunity to experience art completely naked.
For just over $12, one can embrace the full-frontal freedom of this cheeky new exhibition.
The Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations Marseille (Mucem) has invited visitors to strip down and experience art completely nude
“It’s not every day you get to walk around a museum naked,” a 38-year-old museum visitor, Julie Guegnolle, who celebrated her birthday strolling through the museum nude, told France24.
“When we arrived, we felt a bit lost, but it’s not so strange,” she added.
With 600 photos, videos, and everyday objects on display, the Naturist Paradises exhibitionist exhibit gives an intimate glimpse of naturism, a centuries-old tradition.
The phenomenon of naturism, also known as nudism, is based on the belief that being naked, particularly in natural environments, promotes a healthier body image, greater freedom, and a deeper connection with nature.
The Naturist Paradises exhibit showcases 600 photos, videos, and everyday objects, giving an up-close look at the centuries-old tradition of naturism
Countries like France, Germany, and the Netherlands have well-established naturist communities.
With Mucem’s Naturist Paradises exhibit, the museum is exploring “this singular and unifying social phenomenon that is naturism.”
“Today, France is the world’s leading tourist destination for naturists: its temperate climate and three seas have facilitated the establishment of real communities, which – with the exception of Switzerland – have few real equivalents elsewhere in Europe, where naturism is practiced more freely, outside established communities,” read the museum’s website.
Once a month, the museum offers a dedicated evening for naturists to explore the exhibition for just about $12
The museum said it was “natural” for them to include their own way of allowing visitors to explore naturism.
“It was only natural for the Mucem, a social museum based in Marseilles, a Mediterranean city around which several major naturist centres have sprung up, to explore this singular and unifying social phenomenon that is naturism, (or rather naturisms, because there are different types),” the museum continued.
Mucem said it now opens its doors every month for one evening to visitors wanting to explore the exhibition completely nude.
Around 80 guests stripped down and walked through the museum in August’s naturist slot.
“Anyone wanting to visit fully dressed during those hours might be considered a little odd,” a museum spokesperson said
When asked if it was obligatory for visitors to be naked during the naturist viewing slot, a Mucem spokesperson said it was “logical” to do so.
“Anyone wanting to visit fully dressed during those hours might be considered a little odd,” they told The Guardian.
Eric Stefanut, of France’s FFN—French Naturist Federation, the naturist organization that has partnered with Mucem to offer the once-a-month nudist viewing slot—said visitors could wear shoes to protect their feet from the parquet floors of the museum.
“It’s to avoid getting splinters,” he said.
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