A museum in southern French city Marseille is inviting visitors to discover Europe’s relationship to the naturist lifestyle by wandering its halls in the nude.
“It’s not every day you get to walk around a museum naked,” said Julie Guegnolle, 38, who was celebrating her birthday at the “Naturist Paradises” exhibition in the Museum of Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean (Mucem).
Once a month, visitors to Mucem can explore the history of naturism in Europe in only their shoes — a precaution not for modesty’s sake but simply to “avoid getting splinters,” said Eric Stefanut, head of French naturist organization FFN.
Photo: AFP
Walking around the displays clad in a sarong, Guegnolle said she wanted to “do something different” for her birthday.
She and her husband, Matthieu, were among 80 visitors in various states of undress strolling around the 600 photos, paintings, sculptures and other works one Tuesday this month.
“When we arrived, we felt a bit lost, but it’s not so strange,” Guegnolle said.
Some visitors had more culture shock than others, with a couple from England marveling at the liberated attitudes toward nudity.
Kieren Parker-Hall and Xander Parry said they enjoyed the “fantastic” photography, including a nude black-and-white portrait of Christiane Lecocq — a female pioneer of French naturism who died at the age of 103.
Discovering the history of naturism while in the nude was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for the two Brits, especially since they said the practice is not widely accepted in their home country.
“There’s not a lot of naturist stuff in England,” Web developer Parker-Hall, 28, said, adding that the practice is “not really accepted.”
Parry, a 30-year-old stained glass maker, agreed.
Being naked in England is seen as “weird... you should be a bit ashamed of being naked,” Parry said.
Though there is no official ranking, Mucem describes France as “the world’s leading tourist destination” for those who enjoy going nude outdoors.
The naturist movement sprang up in Switzerland and Germany in the 19th century, said Bruno Saurez, head of the local naturist association and cohost of the visit.
France’s first naturist group emerged in the southeastern Provence in 1930 before spreading throughout the country, he said.
Marseille, long considered a “stronghold of naturism” boasts several dedicated centers due, in part, to the region’s mild climate, he added.
“We’re right on Spain’s heels for the number of visitors to vacation resorts” dedicated to naturists, he said.
However, for Christelle Bouyoud, 53, naturism goes further than tourist numbers or the freedom to bare it all — the decision to go nude can be a unifying force for society.
“When you’re naked, it’s very complicated to face someone on the battlefield,” Bouyard said.
For the fully clothed and the naked alike, the exposition featuring loans from the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Louvre, and the Swiss National Library in Bern is open until Dec. 9.
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