a museum to visit naked and discover “naturist paradises”

To visit the exhibition “Naturist paradises” in the French city of Marseille (in the southeast of the country) It is not necessary to wear clothes, but you do need to wear shoeswhich baffles the most veteran militants.

The museum opens its doors to nudists once a month.

“I thought it was a naturist exhibition!”, a visitor, Daniel, is outraged when he learns that he will have to put on shoes to walk the halls of the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (Mucem).

“The Mucem has requested it to avoid problems with splinters“, explains Eric Stefanut, from the French Federation of Naturism (FFN), co-host of this unusual guided tour that this August brings together 80 curious people.

After this clarification, everyone sets out to discover the photographs, drawings, books, films, magazines, paintings and sculptures, material on loan from museums such as the Pompidou Center in Paris, the Louvre or the Swiss National Library in Bern.

“Today is my birthday and we were looking for something a little exceptional“explains Julie Guegnolle, 38 years old (in a sarong), who has come with her husband, Matthieu, 37 years old (naked).

“It’s not every day you have the opportunity to walk naked in a museum. When we arrived, we were a little lost, but it’s not that strange,” he enthuses.

The exhibition, visible until December 9also receives fully clothed visitors, outside of these specific times.

“We’re going to be in Marseille for a week. We saw the exhibition on Instagram and wanted to take a look,” explain Kieren Parker-Hall, 28, and Xander Parry, 30, originally from the southwest of England.

Both walk through the exhibition naked, and are “fascinated” by the “incredible photographs” of Christiane Lecocq, pioneer of French naturismwho died at the age of 103, in front of her cabin, showing her body marked by the passage of time.

“In England You don’t find this kind of place where people are naked, íit’s too cold“, smiles Kieren, who works designing websites. Xander, a glazier by profession, adds: “nudity in England is seen as something strange, shameful.”

Marseille has historically been “a key place of naturism“explains Bruno Saurez, president of the local naturist association, founded in 2014 and co-host of the visit.

Near this important port there is a area of ​​coves of great beautycurrently protected natural areas with difficult access.

At the beginning of the 20th century, an abbot, Urbain Legré, who was in charge of children sick with tuberculosis, proposed to the parents and his superiors of his religious order that they take the children to that area so that they could take sunbaths and do outdoor exercises. outdoors.

“It’s what was done in Switzerland, in Germany,” where the naturist movement was born with the hygienist movement in the 19th century, recalls the expert.

“These children enjoyed this experience so much that they created the first naturist associations in France: the Naturists of Provence, in 1930and the Free Culturists of Provence, in 1931,” details Saurez.

There is no international classification of nudist tourist destinations, information circulates informally among fans.

“We are a bit on the heels of Spain in terms of the number of visitors to the holiday resorts. We do not count beach naturists, who are very numerous and do not necessarily go to the resorts,” explains Bruno Saurez.

But that doesn’t matter for Christelle Bouyoud, 53, a naturopath for a decade.

“When you are naked it is very difficult to go to war or pick a fight with someone,” he emphasizes.

That was the message of the singer Philippe Katerine when he appeared before the cameras with just a loincloth and painted blue, at the ceremony of opening of the Olympic Games.

Philippe sang the song “Nu” (“Naked”), but his hedonistic message caused some international controversy.