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Visitors go naked at this French museum to view nudist exhibit wearing just shoes

Visitors go naked at this French museum to view nudist exhibit wearing just shoes

French nude museum

A French museum is inviting people to view the works of art naked. The museum in Marseille, a city in France, is exhibiting nudes depicting the history of naturism in Europe and wants people to connect with them without any clothes, except for shoes.

Mucem opens its doors once a month to people who can view the pieces of art nude and shoes are a necessity "to avoid splinters", head of France's FFN naturist organisation Eric Stefanut told AFP.

Nude visits to the museum are conducted for the Naturist Paradises exhibition and happen in partnership with the French Naturist Federation. The museum remains closed one evening every month and the nude visits happen at this time.

The exhibition includes various pieces of art, including photographs, films, paintings, magazines, sculptures and more. These are gathered from naturist communities and the public and private collections in France and Switzerland. This includes the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Louvre, and the Swiss National Library in Bern.

The French exhibition was a culture shock for some visitors. Two of them visiting from England were amazed to see how liberated attitudes towards nudity were here. Kieren Parker-Hall and Xander Parry, who wandered the museum without any clothes, told AFP that it was a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for them as England is not as open to naturist stuff.

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Being naked in England is seen as "weird... you should be a bit ashamed of being naked," Parry said.

Marseille and the naturist movement

Mucem describes France as "the world's leading tourist destination" for people who like to be nude outdoors.

Bruno Saurez, head of the local naturist association, told AFP that it was in Switzerland and Germany that the naturist movement started in the 19th century. However, in France, the first naturist group emerged in 1930 in the southeastern Provence region and quickly spreadthroughout the country.

Marseille, partly because of its mild climate, is considered a "stronghold of naturism" in France and hosts several dedicated centres.

But, can fully clothed people also visit the exhibition? A Mucem spokesperson told AFP that it might be considered "a bit odd" since it was “logical” for those reserving tickets to be in some state of undress.

The exhibition is on till December 9.