Gustav Courbet’s 19th century erotic oil painting The Origin of the World features the genitals of an (until recently) faceless nude and is roundly considered a masterpiece.
Though at the time of painting it was considered too risqué to exhibit and could even have seen the artist sent to prison on charges of “affronting pubic and religious morals”, it now hangs in Paris’s Musée d'Orsay.
Last month artist Deborah de Robertis decided to incorporate Courbet’s work into her own performance piece – which saw her take a seat in front of the priceless painting and expose her own genitals to museum goers.
Deborah de Robertis exhibited her own version of The Origin of the World last month
In this NSFW video, Robertis is seen entering the strolling into the gallery barefoot and dressed elegantly in a sparkling gold dress.
She settles below the painting – believed to be of Courbet’s then lover Irish model Joanna Hiffernan - splays her legs and holds open her vulva.
Panicked museum guards flutter around Robertis, occasionally standing in front of her spread legs, though the artist does not even appear to raise an eyebrow.
Gustav Courbet's The Origin of the World hangs in Paris’s Musée d'Orsay
Spontaneous applause breaks out during the impromptu show which ended with Robertis eventually being escorted away by police.
Artnet reports two of the museum guards have filed sexual exhibitionist complaints against her.
A spokesman for the museum said: “This is a typical case of disrespecting the museum’s rules, whether for a performance or not.
“No request for authorisation was filed with us. And even if it had been, it’s not certain we would have accepted it as that may have upset our visitors.”
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Robertis tells Luxemburger Wort: “If you ignore the context, you could construe this performance as an act of exhibitionism, but what I did was not an impulsive act.
"He does not reveal the hole, that is to say, the eye. I am not showing my vagina, but I am revealing what we do not see in the painting, the eye of the vagina, the black hole, this concealed eye, this chasm, which, beyond the flesh, refers to infinity, to the origin of the origin.”
The entire matter is summed up brilliantly in a comment posted to Robertis’s Facebook page, which asks:
“When we look at a picture of a naked female, we’re in a safe place, we’re voyeurs and often happy that our gaze is not being returned. Once the portrayal comes to life, however, we’re dealing with a hell of a lot more. We become awkward, embarrassed and nervous — stripped of the confidence we boasted when we were merely peeping. What is de Robertis saying about the way society looks at women?”
Over to you, readers.
But the channel reconsidered after an appeal from ArtFido, reinstating it with the message: “After further review, we’ve determined that while your video does not violate our Community Guidelines, it may not be appropriate for a general audience. We have therefore age-restricted your video. This does not negatively impact your account standing.”
Well done ArtFido!