How to Talk to Kids about Nudity in Art

My daughter saw the nudes in the painting first, but it was my son who asked in his loudest voice possible, "Mommy, why are the boys touching each other's penises?" Not only did my children look to me expectantly, curious of the answer, but about 20 other adults in the gallery turned to hear it, too. I should have expected as much when I decided to take my 3 1/2 year-old twins to The Metropolitan Museum of Art's exhibition "Art and Love in Renaissance Italy." If there is art, chances are there is nudity. And children are the fastest and most adept museum visitors at finding the single nude figure in an entire gallery of art. Even if you are in a room of fruit and vegetable still-life paintings! You'll probably first hear the whispers and then the giggles. There are almost always giggles. You'll know immediately what they've spotted.

What do you do then?

First, you might have to wait for those giggle to die down. And they will. Children are often curious about what an adult is going to say, even if slightly uncomfortable. Nudity in art allows you the opportunity to talk about many things from the universality of the human body to the history of its representation in art, including its use as a symbol and various definitons of beauty. Artists from different times and culture have long depicted the human body, often with no clothes, because it is something we all have in common, even if sexes, shapes, sizes, colors, modifications, and abilities vary. This, in part, explains nudity's omnipresence in art and museums. Oftentimes, simply explaining this, especially to the younger kids, is enough. Signaling your comfort with nudity in art encourages their own comfort with art but also with their own bodies. Older children and teenagers will be able to discuss idealism vs realism, sexuality, beauty, symbolism, and the like.

Much has been written and debated about the difference between naked and nude. In the end, when discussing art with kids, I tend to use "naked" to indicate a figure that would otherwise be dressed (i.e. if there are clothes nearby signaling their become undressed) and to use "nude" to indicate a metaphorical or symbolic figure whose lack of clothes seems "natural." For instance, the goddess Venus in ancient Roman statuary is nude but the women in Manet's Dejuener Sur L'Herbes are naked. This is a slippery slope at best and not necessary for an introductory discussion.

In the end, however, sometimes you have to improvise. Before I explained the universality and commonality of the human body in preschooler terms, I simply and directly answered my son's question about the nudity, "They are touching their penises because that is what little boys do."

Other tips:

• If possible, prepare children in advance for the fact that they will see nudity in the museum so that they aren't as surprised when they see that first nude sculpture or painting.


• If possible, address nudity in art before the giggles start, i.e. intentionally choose a nude--they're going to be looking at it anyway!


• Allow space and time for giggles and discomfort--and then follow it up with observation and discussion--instead of denying, rushing, or glossing over nudity.


• If you stop and talk about a female nude, play it fair and stop to look at a male nude somewhere else. Also vary body types, cultures, time periods, styles, if possible.


• Use the accurate terms for body parts and encourage others to do the same.


• If you are a teacher, be very aware of cultural and religious sensitivities regarding nudes (a teacher was fired in Frisco, TX, after a student saw a nude sculpture at a museum on a field trip in 2006). Plan appropriately for age, physical and social development, familiarity with art, etc.