Naked Figures

Naked Figures – History and Stories of Nude Sculpture

by Dagmar Wittmers | mdr | 2025

Is Michelangelo’s world-famous David statue merely an athletic male nude, or could it even be considered classified pornography? Naked figures among us, unclothed or barely veiled – nude sculptures in public spaces, celebrated and condemned. Nudity and sculpture have been inseparably linked since antiquity. Yet time and again, religious and political taboos, bans, and attacks on sculptures have occurred. A fascinating exploration of the naked body, captured in sculpted form—offering new insights and perspectives on a universal theme.