The Mucem (Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations) in Marseille is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the exhibition Naturist Paradises. This exhibition explores the history of nudism over the past century and its present-day characteristics, with a focus on France. The museum invites visitors to view the exhibition in the nude, with the support of naturist organizations.
France is the world’s leading tourist destination for naturist enthusiasts. With 397 public nude beaches and 212 naturist campsites, it is among the most naturist-friendly countries in the world, but the nude exhibition is still a first for France.
Naturist Paradises includes around 600 paintings, photographs, movies, publications, sculptures, and other everyday items that tell the history of nudism from the first pioneering communities in the 1920s to today. The works come from the archives of naturist communities and from French and Swiss private and public collections, including the Musée National d’Art Moderne, the Louvre Museum, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, and more.
The exhibition delves into the origins of the naturist movement and its significance in contemporary life, highlighting its foundational principles: a return to nature, liberation from societal constraints, and body positivity. Historically, naturists have advocated for ecological and egalitarian values.
While the exhibition features numerous nude bodies, it does not emphasize sexuality. Instead, it seeks to challenge the automatic association we often make between nudity and sexuality. Curated by Bernard Andrieu, Jean-Pierre Blanc, Amélie Lavin, and David Lorenté, Naturist Paradises aims to reevaluate our preconceptions about nudism from the 1960s. It offers a contemporary interpretation of the naturist lifestyle, now closely associated with natural therapies, outdoor yoga, and vegetarianism.
The “naked tours,” are conducted in association with the Fédération Française de Naturisme, and cost ranging from €7.5 to €11, depending on the category, while visitors under the age of eighteen are admitted free of charge.
