The idea for this book was born in the course of a stroll through the Louvre, when Catherine Belanger ventured to call the Louvre ‘the biggest brothel in the world’. Key works illustrate the artistic approach and the representation of the nude in the Western world from the 7th century BC to 1897. Lois Lammerhuber detaches the nudity, sensuality and sexuality of the sculptures from the context of their artistic intention, conceiving them as ‘material’ in a fictional photography studio and recreating them in his photographs. He resorts to these ‘models’ to translate them into the language of fashion, nude and advertising photography - sensual and unexpected. The images are accompanied by Jean Galard’s reflections on this approach from an art-historical and philosophical angle. In its design the book is reminiscent of bronze and refers to the haptic character of sculpture. Text in English & French. AUTHOR: Jean Galard taught aesthetics at the Department of Philosophy of the University of Sao Paulo and was cultural attache of the French Institute in Casablanca, Istanbul, Mexico and Amsterdam. In 1987 he set up a cultural service at the Louvre to increase visits to the museum and raise awareness of its collections. He wrote numerous essays on subjects relating to the Louvre. Lois Lammerhuber’s photographs are in demand around the world and have been published in hundreds of books and magazines, in more than 3,000 reportages and on numerous covers, and they have also won many international awards. Lammerhuber was singled out three times for the Graphis Photo Award for the year’s best reportage. He frequently shows his photographs in exhibitions and for many years, has also written articles for magazines and radio. In 1996 he established Edition Lammerhuber. Catherine Belanger entered the Louvre in 1962 and was PR lady of the Louvre from 1976 to 2007. In this capacity, she organised exhibitions, photo shoots, and movie productions (among them The Da Vinci Code), an activity that earned her the nickname ‘Madame Louvre’. SELLING POINTS: .One of the best and most important collections of sculpture in the biggest and most famous museum in the world, an exceptional photographic interpretation in 162 sensational pictures, a tribute to sensuality in art .The ideal gift book for art lovers, a sophisticated and surprising approach to nudity and sensuality in major sculptures of the Louvre .The sophisticated design of the book, reminiscent of bronze and referring to the haptic character of sculpture, makes the book itself a sculptural work of art .Volume 2 of the Le Louvre Nu/The Louvre Nude series, dedicated to the naked body in sculpture ILLUSTRATIONS: 162 colour