A prominent Vienna museum has decided to cover the “intimate parts” of three naked male soccer players on big posters put up in the Austrian capital after they caused an outcry.

“We got many, many complaints,” Leopold Museum spokesman Klaus Pokorny said about the public display of the placards used to advertise its “Naked Men” exhibition, due to open on Friday.

“We didn’t realise that many, many people would be really upset or really angry in a way that we are also afraid about security, about protection of the visitors of the museum.”

He said a red paper stripe would be used to hide the genitalia on roughly 180 large posters in Vienna. But smaller posters with the same motif would not be touched during the work which he expected to start on Tuesday and last about a day.

“Many people told us that they wanted to or had to protect their children,” Pokorny said.

Some had warned that “if we won’t cover it they would go there with a brush and they would cover it with colour. Already somebody did that”.

Pokorny added: “We are not really happy about the situation. You always hope that we have made progress, that we are now in the 21st century.”

The Leopold exhibition, which will run until Jan. 28, is designed to show how the depiction of male nudity has evolved in art history.

Around 300 art works — including the controversial photograph by French artists Pierre & Gilles called “Vive La France” of three men of different races wearing nothing but blue, white and red socks and soccer boots — will be on display.

“Previous exhibitions on the theme of nudity have mostly been limited to female nudes,” the Leopold said on its website.

“Thanks to loans from all over Europe, the exhibition ‘naked men’ will offer an unprecedented overview of the depiction of male nudes.”

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Tue May 21 21:16:16 SAST 2013 ::

Oct 17, 2012

somaartakeit

why cover? us girls have no complaints about the poster, so bring it in!!!! viva nude soccer players even I would go to the stadium to watch, lol
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Oct 17, 2012

Shredder

It is not only in South Africa that we respect the body of a human being. Eg, Zuma's spear.

@somaartakeit - A man's body is not for display purpose.
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Oct 17, 2012

KGS000

Bana somaar lets protect them from such
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Oct 17, 2012

MissBhakajuju

@ somaartakeit

LOL... I also wonder why they're covering ? Viva Nude Soccer Players Viva.... Unjani my darling ??


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Oct 17, 2012

RobinH

The world seems to be becoming more and more reactionary. Nudity in art is a tradition going back hundreds and hundreds of years. I find this position completely ridiculous. Personally I don't really feel a deep need to stare at naked soccer players, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.
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Oct 17, 2012

KGS000

There is nothing wrong with it but not when its diplayed where children can see it.
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Oct 17, 2012

Shredder

@RobinH
The world seems to be becoming more and more reactionary. Nudity in art is a tradition going back hundreds and hundreds of years. I find this position completely ridiculous. Personally I don't really feel a deep need to stare at naked soccer players, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.
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Your nude picture won't look like on the billboard Robin.
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Oct 17, 2012

jerico

if they can also show the naked females i would be happy,i'm tired of watching those i stay with everyday.since they showed one male Zuma's painting why not show one female Zuma's painting (Dlamini Zuma)
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Oct 17, 2012

Shredder

@RobinH
The world seems to be becoming more and more reactionary. Nudity in art is a tradition going back hundreds and hundreds of years. I find this position completely ridiculous. Personally I don't really feel a deep need to stare at naked soccer players, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.
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Correction

Your nude picture won't look good on the billboard Robin.
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Oct 17, 2012

RobinH

SHredder. It's not available anyway, lol. However, I make no claim on being an artwork either.
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