OMG....what can I say??
" no I wouldn't dream of taking my children to Italy because they might see some nude statues".
"Metropolitan Museum of art? not for my children, they might see a nude painting of Eve in the Garden of Eden, or even worse a naked Baby Jesus in a Titian painting".
you must have the wrong sort of friends.

I don't think I would remove them either but I also wouldn't want to be the one explaining nakedness (when OK, when not OK) to other people's kids. I'm a little confused. If parents were coming over for cocktails, why were kids in the picture at all?

They were being silly but you were being very considerate. I would not worry about art but if particular parents nicely request it be hidden and it's not a big deal, I'd go along with it.

Now, if they were annoying people, or inlaws or something...well then...not gonna happen. :)

@bossyvossy

Because parents of today seem to believe their children are surgically attached to them at birth and also treat them as frail flowers until they're 25, then wonder why they're not behaving like adults.

Knowing that young children were coming to visit, I would have draped a loin cloth over "David", but not removed him.

I never hid classic art from my children, but having both daughter and son, they already knew about rudimentary anatomical differences. Two girls without a brother might be curious about a reproduction of David if it's sitting in front of them all evening. I think your friends may have just not wanted to get into an anatomy discussion with their young daughters while trying to enjoy your company.

Did it burden you to tuck away your statuette, or are you just irritated they asked?

Just one other thought: I have friends who aren't comfortable around dogs. Though mine are sweet and gentle, I don't consider it an undue burden to put them out back or in my bedroom to make an occasional guest feel more comfortable.

What a strange request! If I had a friend who had art I did not want my children to see, I think I would get a sitter or decline the invitation.

I think it was tiring to avoid anatomy discussion. I had no problem putting David in closet. But it made me wonder what other people did.

I would not put away things like that, even if requested. Just tell your friend that perhaps they should not bring their children with them. Don't confront the issue on their lack of ability to discuss human anatomy with their children. Although I'd be biting my tongue wanting to say lots of snarky things.

I would not put away things like that, even if requested. Just tell your friend that perhaps they should not bring their children with them.

To be fair, Sushi, I've noticed your responses on other forums to be consistently in favor of terminating relationships with anyone whom an original poster describes as having created some conflict or conundrum in their lives. Your scorched earth policy doesn't leave much room for grace.

I had no problem putting David in closet. But it made me wonder what other people did.

Please forgive my question about whether you considered their request either a burden or an annoyance. Curiousity about a curious request makes perfect sense.

It's not terminating the relationship whatsoever. Just setting proper boundaries between adults. "Gee. Charlie, I can't really move that statue. Maybe you should leave the children with a sitter, or maybe I can meet you and your wife and the kids someplace else." No reason to let people push you around.

So if the OP is a 125 lb person with a bad back, and the statue is 250 pounds, what would you say?

Here''s a news story about Italians covering up art for the sake of the Iranian president. What's right?

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London had a little removable fig leaf that the put on their replica statue when Queen Victoria visited. Maybe that would be a solution.

It's not terminating the relationship whatsoever. Just setting proper boundaries between adults:

"Just tell your friend that perhaps they should not bring their children with them."

Sushi, perhaps you maintain friendships only with people who walk in lockstep with you, but some people enjoy more diverse social circles. Refusing a simple accommodation request (however quirky or prudish it may seem to you) and disinviting the children is a hostile response likely to escalate to declining that invitation and any future ones. I'd put the guest's request in the same category as a host who asks guests to remove shoes upon entering, or to not bring gifts of sweets or alcohol.

The children are welcome in my home, but I don't redecorate for them. And if I were asked to remove my shoes, I would not be comfortable ad would probably decline an invitation to visit that home. Yeah, I like a very diverse social circle, and I don't expect people to jump thru hoops for me.

(Enough of hijacking this thread. If you would like to continue the discussion on this subject of my personal social circles, you might start it up over in Home Decoration Conversations or the Kitchen Table.)

I do believe a guest in my home should be made as comfortable as possible.

We are childless by choice so our house has never needed to be childproof.... So it isn't (both physically and artistically.) We let people know that it isn't child friendly and suggest they don't bring them. If they can't make other arrangements we meet somewhere else. If they bring them anyhow we hang out on the front porch if the weather permits and they are expected to keep eyes on their little ones at all times. This just isnt a good place for kids, not everyplace is and not everyplace needs to be.

So.... No, I would not put things away, I would try to meet up somewhere more kid appropriate.

Honestly, how paranoid can people be about nudity? Does it mean one should never take his underage children to art museums, travel with them to Europe, etc.? Human nudity is just part of life and that's all.

You don't need to take your kids to an Onsen spa in Japan or a topless beach in Cyprus, if you aren't entirely comfortable about exposing them to nudity. But an occasional art piece in someone's home is no reason to make a major fuss.

If it's a small piece, I'd just move it to a less prominent spot. If it's a large, heavy statue or big painting, then no way I'm moving it.

BTW, topless is pretty much the norm on Cyprus beaches. Like 75% of ladies are topless. Would that completely rule Cyprus out as a vacation destination for your family?

The Mirror (UK): Family friendly resort in Cyprus

When I read this all I could think of was seven years ago when I took my daughter and her two sons, then 6 1/2 and not quite 9, to London and Paris for a week. Our first day in Paris, we went to the Museum D'Orsay. The big main hall into which one first enters, is filled with classical nude statuary. My 6 1/2 yr old son's eyes lit up, and he immediately said to his brother, "Henry! You look for the penises and I'll look for the boobs!" My daughter said it was such a proud moment and so typical of little boys. We have laughed and laughed over this. No big deal...

I'm sorry but that's just a sad commentary on education here in the US.

I think I am going to faint! How do these parents protect their children from the hyper-sexualized pictures of celebrities on every magazine- all over TV- to say nothing of the internet? Kim Kardashian's unantural physique is a yes. A celebration of the human body in its ideal form is a no? I can't begin to imagine the shrink bills one day!

My children went to a Lutheran elementary school. Once, when I accompanied the third grade class on a field trip to a museum, the teacher noticed some of the children giggling nervously about a painting of a nude. She pulled the class aside and told the class that the artist was honoring God for creating the human body. It worked for this group; may not be everyone's explanation, though.

And there was the phase that my grandson was going thru a few years ago, age 9 or 10, I guess. At the museum with his mother, he was all red and tongue-tied and ill at ease in the presence of the nudes. But with his buddies, it was all giggles. Now, almost 13, I think his reaction has probably changed again.

In 3 rd grade the school's copy of Born Free was always checked out. Not because it was a great book, but because there was a full page photo of a nude native woman.

Kudos nyboy, you are clearly a gracious host. People make questionable parenting choices all the time & it is definitely not polite to judge openly, but doing it silently can sometimes be a satisfying indulgence.

As an elementary age kids' art teacher, I usually have to go through magazines & pull inappropriate ads/photos before the snickering, giggling, 'naughty' types discover them during activities.

To me, it's trivial. Put David away.

When I first moved to Los Angeles in 1965, I went to Forest Lawn -- it's a beautiful place with a lot of art. They had a very large Statue of David -- they had made a cover for his penis.

When I went back, many years later, the cover had been removed.

I'd probably diplomatically tell the parents that I'd be leaving the art exactly like it was (providing it wasn't featuring anything that was against the law). At that point the choice would be theirs to make the "right" decision for them. I would wonder what these children would be doing in your bedroom.

Some people think that it's best to hide these things from their kids and the kids eventually turn out just fine. I'm sure they are still lovely people or NYBoy wouldn't have had them over. It's not worth making a fuss over one little weird request. Just laugh it off.

As a parent of younger kids, I don't worry about tasteful art depicting nudes in front of kids, but if their parents objected, I'd try to make them feel comfortable (while snickering in the back of my mind suspecting the kids already know more than their parents think).

If you had art that I thought was awful enough to damage my kids, I probably wouldn't be friends with you, let alone bringing my kids over!

The parents are a very nice couple and their daughters well behaved. David is only about 3 feet tall so moving him not a big deal. I removed the drawing because the TV is in bedroom. The drawing won 2nd place at a art show, I bought because it reminds me of a friend who passed.

Try a tea towel sarong for David. I'm sure he's worn worse over the years. :P

Art was never hidden from us growing up- the classical kind was around. Never had thought twice about it. Wouldn't bother me with my kids. They see the 2 year old running around nekkid enough, and none were bottle-fed...

I hope this family does not ever come to Louisville and decide to dine at 21C Museum Hotel. The hotel is famous for its collection of contemporary art. They purchased a 30 ft tall replica of David, done in a gold material. It stands on the sidewalk in front of the hotel - David in all his super giant size glory! It's quite "impressive"...

"If you had art that I thought was awful enough to damage my kids, I
probably wouldn't be friends with you, let alone bringing my kids over!"

Completely agree.

Growing up in the 1960’s I had an aunt who worked at a
gallery/auction house. She was in the position to buy some really good traditional
paintings. Her taste ran to the classical. Many were nudes. As a kid I was
fascinated by her art works. My mom perceived my fascination and asked
permission for me to examine them up close. It wasn’t just the nudity, it was the
chance to observe anatomy and how the artist rendered it. She then promised me
that someday I could study figure drawing (and I did).

The thought has never occurred to me to hide a statue of a naked woman that I have in my home. My 3 year old grandson has yet to say anything about her. It will be interesting to see of he starts noticing her in the coming years.

OP - I also think you were very gracious in obliging to your guest request. ;)

I am having the similar issues with this as well. I tend to draw and paint things that we think is funny or something we both like. I've been seeing so many nude paintings but with warm or cool colors that do not match skin tone and honestly I quite like them. I wanted to do a nude of my husband and I together to hang in our bedroom or our living room. The only thing is, I have a 4 year old sister and he has a 10 & 12 year old brother(12)/sister(10). I just don't want to be caught in the middle of having a birds & bees TYPE of talk with them. But at the same time, its natural and it won't be us doing anything, it will just be kind of a symbol of our raw naked love for each other and would be just embracing or sitting with each other (no faces....maybe). Idk I'm kind of on the fence.

Old thread, but new question, hmmm thought we'd have more action on this.

MHO is just because a body is nude doesn't mean you must have a sex talk. If they are not your children, simply say look how beautiful the human body is! Artists have wondered at its beauty for 100's of years. I am an art teacher to elementary kids. Nudity should not be associated with something dirty- we're not talking about p0rn. Our bodies are beautiful. Look at all they do for us, run, jump, think, sing, create. Bodies are amazing!