Frederic, Lord Leighton
The Sluggard
(1885)
Tate
Exposed: The Victorian Nude is the first major exhibition in the new Linbury Galleries at Tate Britain.
The exposure of the body through images of the nude was one of the most controversial issues in Victorian art. Nudes were presented not only in painting and sculpture, but also popular illustration, photography and film, fuelling intense debates about the relationship between art and public morals. This exhibition charts the precarious development of subject matter which was both prestigious and dangerous, highlighting concerns about sexuality, desire and censorship that are still relevant today.