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September 2000

Under Cover

Exhibition: Statue of modesty-"Das Feige(n) Blatt" chronicles the use of foliage to hide privates

Classical Antiquity celebrated, idealized and glorified the beauty of the naked body. With the advent of Christianity, the portrayal of human nudity in art became increasingly controversial. All over Europe, especially from the mid-18th century, moralizers and censors put an end to such heathen shamelessness by covering the improperly nude statues of Antiquity with “fig leaves” in reference to the biblical story of Adam and Eve. In 1894, Munich writer Christian Morgenstern sneered that the use of fig leaves in museums was “as widespread as if a hurricane had raged in a sycamore forest.” The exhibition “Das Feige(n) Blatt” (“The Fig Leaf”) at the Glyptothek sheds light on a fascinating aspect of cultural history — the treatment of nudity in art. Not without irony, it shows how the perfect Greek and Roman marble bodies were covered with bronze, plaster or cardboard leaves or, as in the case of two statues of Aphrodite, with long stucco gowns. “Das Feige(n) Blatt” will be held at the Glyptothek until October 29, Tues. and Thurs. 10-20, Wed., Fri.-Sun. 10-17. Guided tours are offered on Tuesdays at 18:00.

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