Where was I when the museum decided to allow this

[{OF}Blong]

7/29/05 - VIENNA, Austria) — Vienna's prestigious Leopold Museum is usually a pretty buttoned-down place, but on Friday, some of the nudes in its marble galleries were for real.

Scores of naked or scantily clad people wandered the museum, lured by an offer of free entry to "The Naked Truth," a new exhibition of early 1900s erotic art, if they showed up wearing just a swimsuit or nothing at all.

With a midsummer heat wave sweeping much of Europe, pushing temperatures into the mid-90s Fahrenheit in Vienna, the normally staid museum decided that making the most of its cool, climate-controlled space would be just the ticket to spur interest in the show.

"We find a naked body every bit as beautiful as a clothed one," said Elisabeth Leopold, who founded the museum with her husband, Rudolf. "If they came only out of lust, we have to accept that. We stand for the truth."

Peter Weinhaeupl, the Leopold's commercial director, said the goal was twofold help people beat the heat while creating a mini-scandal reminiscent of the way the artworks by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka and others shocked the public when they first were unveiled a century ago.

"We wanted to give people a chance to cool off, and bring nakedness into the open," he said. "It's a bit of an experiment. Egon Schiele was a young and wild person in his day. He'd want to be here."

Most of those who showed up in little or no attire Friday opted for swimsuits, but a few hardy souls dared to bare more. Among them was Bettina Huth of Stuttgart, Germany, who roamed the exhibition wearing only sandals and a black bikini bottom.

Although she used a program at one point to shield herself from a phalanx of TV cameras, Huth, 52, said she didn't understand what all the fuss was about.

"I go into the steam bath every week, so I'm used to being naked," she said. "I think there's a double morality, especially in America. We lived in California for two years, and I found it strange that my children had to cover themselves up at the beach when they were only 3 or 4 years old. That's ridiculous."

For years, the Austrian capital has been known for a small but lively nudist colony on the Donauinsel, an island in the middle of the Danube River where people disrobe, often startling the unsuspecting joggers, cyclists and rollerbladers who happen upon them.

Overwhelmingly Roman Catholic Austria has always been somewhat more conservative than many other European countries. The Viennese were scandalized when native art nouveau masters like Klimt best known for his sensuous "The Kiss" and the subject of an upcoming film starring John Malkovich began producing works that some critics panned as "indecency," "artistic self-pollution" and borderline pornography.

The 180 works on display at the Leopold through Aug. 22 include Klimt's "Nude Veritas," an 1899 painting of a naked young woman with wildflowers in her hair, and Schiele's "Two Female Friends," a 1915 rendition of two nude women entangled in each other's arms.

Max Hollein, director of Frankfurt's Schirn Kunsthalle art museum, likened the public uproar at the time to "the visible outcry at the live transmission from last year's Super Bowl when, for a few seconds, CBS broadcast shots of the singer Janet Jackson's exposed nipple."

Mario Vorhemes, a 20-year-old Vienna resident who strode into the Leopold on Friday wearing nothing but a green and black Speedo, was nonchalant.

"What's the big deal?" he asked. "We're born naked into this world. Why can't we walk around in it without clothes from time to time?"

Elina Ranta, a fully clothed tourist from Finland who checked out the art and the audience left amused.

"I thought, 'This is strange. How is this possible in a museum?'" Ranta said. "We've been in many galleries and I've never seen people walking around like this."

"In English, my name means 'beach,'" she added. "That's pretty funny under these circumstances, isn't it?"

[Capt. Insane]

yeah, in europe they care less about the whole nudity thing. america is really the only uptight place with stuff like that. bunch of **** is what it is

[dudio]

be nice if public nudity was more accepted.
It sure feels nice to get some clothers off on a hot day,
but imagine the sights you'd see

[Capt. Insane]

i'd rather not, dudio. unless you speak of the boobs

[ilikemittens]

I wish America was a little more like Europe in this aspect. I know it's not something that will just happen over night, but what is everyone afraid of? I'm sure there are people here that will disagree with me, but here's how I see it: Nudity in the media is much different than pornography. Nudity in public is much different than being sexually explicit in public. I'm not saying America should turn into some giant nudist colony, but I don't think my neighbor should be deemed offensive or even arrested if she wants to lie in her backyard and sunbath topless or nude.

Maybe the big fear is "Oh God! What if my children see? I don't want them exposed to that! They could grow up to be perverts!" Personally I think if children see someone who isn't Mommy or Daddy nude in a non-sexual situation (someone nude in public, a painting, etc.) it could make them more comfortable with their own skin. Grabbing them and shielding their eyes from a naked person could send them the wrong message - that it's shameful to be naked. Might even encourage them to be sinister about seeing nude bodies later in life.

Just my dos pesos.

[{OF}Flying_Dutchman]

I agree. Making it shameful or forbidden only makes things worse.

Big difference between nudity and sexuality.

When I grew up in the Netherlands, topless beaches became the norm, and fully nude areas were marked by a sign as you entered.

[{OF}Erad]

I agree, we are way too uptight here in the US, I lived in Europe for over 12 years, and Rape and sexual molestations were much lower than here. It usually occurred only where American Soldiers were stationed.

When you prohibit something in society, some people seem to want to do it even more, and end up twisting it into something bad...

I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but most of the rules and laws around nudity were created by influential Religious Lobbies, dating back to the Puritans.

[Smiley]

You should wear hoods and robes to hide your body and its form from others! The nuns had it right years ago, hide thy skin and shape under black loose clothing and the world will be a better place.

[NiRvAnA]

Just turn on chan 5 after 9pm for free porn over here

You think im kidding.

[{OF}Erad]

Heck, they used to have a Game show where contestants stripped on TV when I lived in Germany.