We wipe our internet browsing histories to spare our blushes, yet admire a nude in an art gallery without the blink of an eye. But, asks classicist Mary Beard, is it really the ennobling effects of great art that sees us queuing up for famous nudes from Aphrodite to Michelangelo’s David? Gleefully, Beard strips away our lofty claims to reveal the truth behind our obsession with the body in art.
