TheGreatNude.tv stopped by Francis M. Naumann Fine Art recently, where a dynamic group exhibition is on display, featuring a wide range of artists, each presenting a work inspired by Marcel Duchamp's "Nude Descending a Staircase". We had a chance to view this exhibition up close, with an introduction and tour provided by gallery owner Francis Naumann.

Beth Carter's hybrid human/animals and other exotic characters are on exhibit at Bertrand Delecroix. The Figures created by this artist are from an internal world that is mesmerizing and captivating in it's own intimate fashion.

Beth Carter's hybrid human/animals and other exotic characters are on exhibit at Bertrand Delecroix. The Figures created by this artist are from an internal world that is mesmerizing and captivating in it's own intimate fashion.

Chambliss Giobbi's show at 101 Exhibit is entitled The Seven Deadly Sins, and I am thrilled to see Giobbi take on this time-honored Christian theme of the primary vices. Giobbi has shown small works with TGN in the past, but these new, large scaled works on exhibit here during Art Basel Week are something else - if not appropriate for the occasion.

Currently showing at Lyons Wier Gallery are the icon-infused works of Long Island native Jeff Muhs. Aptly named The Origin of Nymphs, these large, richly-painted canvases seem to be enlarged, out-of-focus photographs of some of Art History's familiar iconic paintings.

Walking into the Flowers Gallery and seeing Aleah Chapin's new works was a refreshing surprise. There is not a "shocking" nude in the show. Instead, there is honest, direct portraiture of a unique vision. You can feel the intimacy and respect Chapin imbues into her subjects, but courageously, she does not back away from uncomfortable, truthful aspects of the flesh under duress.

Each December, I head south to my home town Miami, Florida, just like the rest of the snow birds, with camera in hand. But I'm here to seek out the "Great Nudes" at the art fairs during Art Basel Week. I'll be reporting each day from the various art fairs with photos, videos and a few interviews with the Artists and galleries dedicated to The Nude.

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On a subsequent visit to Israel slated as pure R & R, TGN's Lilianne Milgrom couldn't avoid tripping over more phenomenal nudes in The Holy Land. She met up with two outstanding Israeli artists whose different takes on the nude exemplify the subject's infinite challenges and possibilities. TGN is delighted to share Lilianne's two artist profiles with our readers.

TheGreatNude presented Sketch Sessions to the public at the Contemporary Art Fair NYC, held at the Jacob Javits Center, Oct. 19, 20 and 21, 2012. This video gives an overview to the fair and the figurative artists exhibiting there. Plus an "over-the-shoulder" view of our Sketch Sessions.

TheGreatNude presented Sketch Sessions to the public at the Contemporary Art Fair NYC, held at the Jacob Javits Center, Oct. 19, 20 and 21, 2012. Here's a collection of photos taken from our three models: Eva Wright, Liliana Velasquez and Aubrey Zich.

In this episode of Sketch Sessions, publisher/artist Jeffrey Wiener takes on the challenge of recreating Gustav Courbet's Bacchante in pencil with a live model. Watch the whole video to see the landscape portion too!

What does this have to do with art? Nothing. But these are great images and should inspire some nice artwork.

Early this summer, right outside the boundaries of "The City" with all it's contemporary galleries, at the Rye Arts Center presented a collection of high-quality artworks curated by sculptor Bob Clyatt. Beyond Rodin: New Directions in Contemporary Figurative Sculpture was reviewed in the New York Times, so if you missed it, watch our video interview with Bob Clyatt.

What do fishing, climbing, golfing, horse riding and tightrope walking have to do with the female nude?? Or for that matter, what is the connection between the female nude and turtles, giraffes, cats and ducks?  Veteran photographer Allan Teger marries these seemingly unrelated images in his thought-provoking and delightful photographs. Lilianne Milgrom’s interview delivers some unexpected insights into these questions and presents a portrait of a man on a mission.

TNC Gallery presents, "Up From the Deep," an exhibit of 15 artists probing the fathoms of memory, dreams, myth and states of being. The show ranges from photography, to mixed media, fabric sculptures, and good old colored pigment smeared on flat surfaces. Curated by artist Jeff Faerber.

Contribution by David Quammen, Director of MOCA DC

MOCA DC gallery is situated in Canal Square in the middle of Georgetown, the toniest section of Washington, DC. The courtyard is framed by four galleries, one of which is a venue for the kind of art and activities one would hardly expect to find in this conservative bastion of a generally conservative city.

Serendipity is everything. I was simply enjoying the last days of summer, and visiting a gallery in Bethel during the Labor Day Weekend, just to show a little support to the artists up here in the Hudson River Valley. Little did I know that there were Great Nudes hiding in the Catskill Mountains.

Several months ago, the Emmanuel Fremin Gallery asked me if TheGreatNude would be interested in sponsoring an exhibition entitled SEX CELLS. Initially, I was hesitant of supporting any exhibition of photographs, especially if the works featured mostly young women in provocative poses. Happily for TheGreatNude, some of the photographers here are doing intelligent, amusing works, and seem to be taking some very sharp pokes at the genre of "Erotic Photography", and I am happy to share them with you.

A Sacramento native, internationally acclaimed Mel Ramos (born 1935) is one of the city's most celebrated artists. This is the first American museum survey of his work in more than 35 years. The exhibition showcases each of the artist's creative phases, including his Abstract Expressionist early works, his comic book heroes from the 1960s, and the commercially inspired nudes that made him famous. We don't have images to share, but we found this great interview with Mel Ramos that is promoted through the Crocker Art Museum's website.

TheGreatNude.tv sent it's crew down to the Emmanuel Fremin Gallery to meet with artist Ted Lawson, who's exhibition of abstract and realist sculptures and paintings feature several Great Nudes.

It seems just a short time ago I was complaining to Jeff Wiener, The Great Nude's publisher, of a shortage of nudes, much less figurative work, being shown in the New York City galleries, when all at once the "art universe" backhanded me. Well, my head is still spinning from all of the great work on exhibit here in NYC.

You don't necessarily have to have read Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton (highly recommended BTW) to know that the art establishment is made up of a lot more than mere artists. There are artists' agents, artists' assistants, curators, gallerists, museum directors, preparators, auction houses, collectors - to name but a few – who keep the art moving in one direction or another.

Here's a re-release of one of our first videos, a Life-painting session where we attempt to recreate Botticelli's "Birth of Venus". It's a little lo-res, and we've certainly improved our productions since this video. But she was a great model. (I can't believe we fit all those people in my tiny Hell's Kitchen studio apartment! And how about that Red Wig?)

Auckland based John Crawford is one of New Zealand’s best known photographers. His portfolio of commissioned and uncommissioned works is diverse in subject matter and mood, yet unmistakeable in its use of light and its natural, simple style.

John says his aim is to capture images that have a high degree of interest and contrast, don’t look too technical, and are easy to look at and enjoy.

TheGreatNude.tv keeps an eye out for unusual videos, and this one stands out for being rather "technical". Thanks to the "Geeks" in the office, who alerted us to these videos. The code samples attached to the various nudes are quite funny when you know what the cods means – instructions for computer/web-browser functions.

TheGreatNude.tv has been working hard at editing through one of the largest collections of art in the world to bring YOU just what you're looking for. Now on Pinterest, we present The Great Nudes of the Metropolitan Museum.

Artist Scott Goodwillie heads up a regular feature covering the Nude in New York City. Watch this space for reviews of exhibitions in the museums and galleries of New York that feature the Nude.

To see some of these works in person, you can join Scott on one of our WALKING TOURS of New York’s art districts by visiting wwwTGNArtTours.com and purchasing advance tickets to RSVP.

TheGreatNude.tv presented 6 of its writers/artists in an exhibition at our booth at the Contemporary Art Fair NYC at the Jacob Javits Center. We also presented a series of Life-drawing events that featured a live model and drawing supplies for the public. Artist Sherry Camhy, a popular teacher here in New York, and Publisher/Artist Jeffrey Wiener, both presented tutorial demonstrations during the busy weekend.

Like many practitioners of "Life Drawing", over the years I have collected a broad set of tools and techniques for capturing that moment on paper. I am also a digital artist, and deeply fascinated by the process of using software and digital input tools to create art. I've been drawing on the iPad and iPad2 using the various drawing APPs available for a while now. Here's some examples of the impressive results one can obtain using the Digital Tablet for life-drawing with a model.

Sagmeister Inc.'s rebranding of Aizone, PLUS Model Magazine’s Campaign against Skinny models, Videos include "Toe Jam" featuring music by David Byrne, the Making of the 2012 Pirelli Calendar, and an ad promoting Naturism in Europe.

The imagery that first comes to mind when you hear the name Degas is familiar to everyone of course. Ballerinas, ballerinas and of course young ballerinas – most of whom are disturbingly pubescent. It's refreshing then that the Museum of Fine Arts Boston has launched this interesting and comprehensive take on the artist which focuses not one iota on ballerinas but on his study of the nude. A collaboration between the museum with the Musee d'Orsay in Paris who contributed about a third of the works on view.

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Review by Scott Goodwillie

With the passing of Lucian Freud on July 20th, 2011 at the age of 89, a chapter in the figurative arts was closed. To honor his achievements, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is hosting a small but spectacular exhibit of 17 paintings, along with a few by his friends Francis Bacon and Frank Auerbach, until December 31 2011. If you are in New York, you have no excuse to miss this.

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Turning 360 degrees in just about any public place in Paris is all it takes for your eyes to alight on a dizzying array of bared breasts, derrieres and male genitalia. Not in the flesh, but in the form of statuary, artworks, graffiti and advertising displays. During a quick visit to Paris recently, Lilianne Milgrom sampled the Paris art scene, and gives us a sense of The Nude as seen through the eyes of several transplanted artists who call Paris their home.

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The Models to Monuments Program, run in coordination with the Art Students' League here in New York City, has produced some wonderful public works in it's efforts together. And we're happy to introduce you to artist Matte White, who's statue Siren can be seen gracing the banks of the Hudson River.

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Recently, TheGreatNude visited the Eleanor Ettinger Gallery on 57th Street to see their exhibition British Figurative Art, a wonderful collection of British artists, several of whom focus on works featuring the nude. We were fortunate enough to have gallery owner Fran Bradford give us a personally guided tour.

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With a hurricane and floodwaters slashing the State of New Jersey, it's good to see a flood of a different and most enjoyable kind lining the gallery walls of Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. Currently the university is hosting an extensive exhibition of works from the collection of late artist and collector Sylvia Sleigh (1916 – 2010). Presenting over sixty paintings, works on paper and mixed media in an overwhelming array of styles and sizes it is a dizzying outpouring of creativity.

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NEW VIDEO RELEASE!
During The Governor's Island Art Fair, TheGreatNude presented several Sketch Sessions in our own exhibition space. Our Life Drawing workshops were open to the viewing public, and visitors were often surprised when they turned the corner to discover nude models posing for artists.

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Rodin created some of the most memorable and iconic nudes of the 19th century. Recently, Jill Newhouse Gallery presented for sale a marvelous small collection of drawings and small sculptures from this French master.

Join us for an intimate tour of these Rodin masterpieces with Gallery owner Jill Newhouse.

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Nakha Chitra is not exactly a common term in the art world, with its roots in ancient Sanskrit, Nakha meaning fingernail, Chitra means art, and Nakhachitrakar means fingernail artist. Not as simple as embossing, this is a rare Indian art form in which there is a reverse process happening, not only with the image being created with pressure on the back of the paper, but with the basic concept of drawing itself.

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Review by Scott Goodwillie

For those who follow Madrid-based hyper realist artist Bernardo Torrens, there is a familiarity with his stable of regular models. In this show at Bernaducci Meisel Gallery, we are offered a new group of masterfully executed paintings focusing primarily on two new subjects: strong featured model Jesi, and the Spanish dancer Melinia Olicina.

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With the Middle East in turmoil again - this time with Social Media fueled explosion called the Arab Spring - we hold our breaths and hope for a new openness in governance and hopefully social attitudes within the Arab world. Enter the art/literary magazine JASAD, which launched in 2008. The launch of this publication was a courageous act of literary expression, and we here at TheGreatNude applaud the publisher's efforts.

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For many who watched the BRAVO series "Work of Art/The Next Great Artist", Peregrine Honig was a favored "competitor" with wide range of skills for making art. What many did not know, was that Honig was already a successful artist with a following and several museums in possession of her works. Honig has long been exploring the boundaries of culture with works that make provocative use of the nude figure.

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For the past few decades, the Figurative Arts have had few champions in the marketplace like collector Howard Tullman. This Chicago entrepreneur has been buying art for over 40 years and has amassed one of the largest collections of nudes I've ever seen. Tullman also supports the arts in several other notable ways. In New York, Howard is on the board of the New York Academy of Art and in Chicago, Tullman has launched a professional digital arts school called Tribeca Flashpoint Academy.

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AN INTRODUCTION
Our newest editorial contributor, Lilianne Milgrom, will be reporting on the nude in art and the nude AS art in a series entitled The Body and Beyond. We'll follow her travels around the world in 2011 in her search for the next Great Nude.

She personally experienced this cacophony of divergent opinions during her recent stint at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris as the authorized copyist of Gustav Courbet's 1866 masterwork L'origine du monde (The Origin of the World).

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Review by Scott Goodwillie

Walking from piece to piece in his current exhibit, I couldn't help but smile - even at some of the more angst ridden works - with a sense of childhood familiarity of the shiny primary colored blocks. Working with approximately 1.5 million blocks from his New York studio and without a model, Sawaya somehow captures intangibles such as raw human emotion with a medium that is if anything unyielding.

The Art of the Brick Museum Tour

PPOW Gallery
Bo Bartlett: Paintings of Home

In his recent exhibition at PPOW Gallery in New York, Bo Bartlett offered up some stunning compositions in the form of large scale paintings and drawings which are culled from his personal and professional life. Born in Columbus, Georgia, he depicts a world of stillness and intimacy which owes much to the insights of Andrew Wyeth, who was his friend and mentor.

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Visitors to the Javitz Center hosted arts and crafts fairs were welcome to sit and draw from the live model. Artists posted drawings for sale during the event. WATCH SAMPLE VIDEO>

VIDEO Coming Soon
The Great Nudes of MIAMI
We were down in Miami to seek out and report on the art that features the nude. PLUS, we co-hosted a Sketch Session at the VERGE ART FAIR - poolside at the Catalina Hotel. Read More>

The Third Annual Governor’s Island Art Fair, organized by 4Heads, is a carnival-like event held each weekend on Governor’s Island during the month of September. Over one hundred exhibitors are using the rooms inside the former barracks of this U.S. Coast Guard property, their home in the middle of New York harbor up until only several years ago, to showcase the works of artists of almost every stripe.

On our opening weekend, crowds were thick with locals and tourists from around the world, who seemed to descend on the island in one fell swoop. Then at the hieght of the afternoon, our model arrived, and we began our Sketch Session Demonstration. Exhibiting artists were joined by exhibit visitors who took advantage of the art supplies and extra chairs.

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Visit the Exhibition Website

Curator/Artist Leah Poller discusses Corpus Hermeticum and exhibiting artist Odd Nerdrum. Additional commentary by fellow exhibiting artists Richard T. Scott, Adam Miller and Fedele Spadafora on their group exhibit at TheGreatNude Invitational and the use of the Nude in their work.

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When most people are asked to describe an artistic genius, the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso is often cited as an example. In addition to his undeniable creative talents and the large body of excellent work produced in his lifetime, his whole career appears to have been a successful strategy of exploration and risk-taking at just the right moment in history.

Most people associate Picasso with his groundbreaking abstractions of reality, and we are all familiar with the story of an artist emboldened by ambition and natural talent, who changed the definition of art. This is not an article about the journey of an artistic genius through his well-known career. Instead, I'd like to take you on a tour of an artist who used the nude figure to communicate the essence of human nature, and did so with courage and freedom throughout all of the phases of his long career.

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