Curated by Jane Neal, The Nude In The XX & XXI Century comprised works from a selection of artists whose practices engage with the historic iconography of the nude and who use this subject to consider the place of the body within our changing cultural landscape.

With the increased intersection of the fine art and fashion worlds visible throughout Western media, the concept of 'Body Beautiful' has become something to aspire to - a new icon for our age - but one robbed of religious significance, romantic context, or intellectual import. In reaction to this act of dehumanisation, artists have focused on the nude as a ground upon which to project desires and a motif through which they might explore sexuality, gender politics, and the relationship between the body and society. For artists, the nude remains an almost endless source of inspiration, occupying a unique place in art history as well as in our collective unconscious.

Sotheby’s S|2

, 2015, 3 mm square section stainless steel bar, 167 × 50 × 47 cm. Installation view. Sotheby's S|2, London, England, 2015. Photograph courtesy of Sotheby’s.

The Nude In The XX & XXI Century

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