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The Naked and the Nude

18 Dec 2009 – 18 Apr 2010

Spanning more than 150 years of art-making, this exhibition reveals changes in the way bodies look, and the way we look at bodies.


The Naked and the Nude

Steve Carr A Shot in the Dark (The Bachelor) (detail) 2008. C-type print mounted on dibond. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, purchased 2008. Image courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett, Auckland

About this Exhibition

The unclothed human figure is one of art's oldest subjects, yet it still catches attention and ignites debate.

This exhibition brings together dozens of bodies from the collection, from languid academic nudes to the fragmented bodies of recent art.

Along the way, the exhibition charts the growing tension between the nude and the naked – between works of art that idealise the body and those that try to tell it like it is.

 


Current Exhibitions