Portuguese priest finds nude photo project artless

Plans by a New York artist to stage a naked photo session of about 300 people in a small town in Portugal have found little support from the local Roman Catholic priest, the Jornal de Noticias newspaper reported.

Eleuterio Pais, a priest in the northern town of Santa Maria da Feira, near Porto, said the idea “had nothing to do with art”.

The plan is the brainchild of American photographer Spencer Tunick, who plans to shoot his models on Saturday as part of his world tour Nude Adrift, which has led him to photograph groups of unclothed people in cities as far apart as Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Montreal, Sao Paulo, Paris and Vienna.

Tunick has been at work on his project since 2001. His record so far is the immortalisation of a group of 7,000 naked people in Barcelona.

“There has to be a limit to everything,” Father Pais said.

“Until a few years ago it was a crime to appear naked in public.”

He also blamed the local authority for helping stage the event.

“The town hall should concern itself with more serious things,” Father Pais said.

Perhaps if the nude models were all taut, young preteen boys he would’ve changed his tune. He may not know art, but he knows what he likes. Oh baby.