I already talked to my sis about it. All she said was that she isn't the one to decide how I decorate my home. She wouldn't mind at all.

But as you just said, it's never really comfortable to talk about nutidy to kids at that age. And as I know them, they would ask lots of questions.

I found some sculptures online that I would like to purchase, but they're really revealing.

I have no trouble with nudity...in fact my cousin the artist has come to my house several times to photograph nude models. But there's nude and there's nude...artistic vs. pornographic. For children, they see themselves naked anyway so if it raises some issue on anatomy that's ok, and probably more important that they realize that their body is nothing to be ashamed of.

I actually have a nude hanging in my exercise room, but it is very discreet...no one's ever mentioned it.

I grew up with nudes - and all types of art - on my parents' walls. My years of therapy were not caused by art. ;-) That said, everyone's got different ideas of what's appropriate...

Thank you all for sharing your opinion!

You actually encourage me to go ahead with my decorating plans. I really like the thought that this will show the little ones that there is no need to be ashamed of their body.

I'm still a bit worried that I could choose something "too pornographic". I've been browsing some shops online and found this one. Most of the sculptures on there look very aesthetic and I don't think they would have a negative impact on the kids at all. Do you think that some of them show too much?

i can think of more ‘eye catchIng’ decorative items than nude sculptures. I would think that the kids mother would want to be the one to decide when to discuss nudity with them.

I think it is a bit of stretch to consider nudes in art as "pornographic"!! The unclothed human figure has been a source of inspiration for artists since man first started painting on cave walls!! It is only modern man's (and particularly here in the US) prudish nature that has assigned any sort of unwarranted stigma to it.

It is your home and YOU get to make the decorating choices and to heck with what anyone else thinks!! If you like it, go for it. It is nonsense to consider children looking a sculpture of a nude figure as something that might disturb their young psyches. Attitudes like that are what cause the problems in the first place!

Since my
sis is a single mom I try to help her with the kids as much as possible. I'm
really close to them so of course I talk to them about serious matter.

I don't
believe that seeing nudity in art would harm them in any way. I would just like
to know if you think that there is a limit. Do you think there could be
something "too inappropriate"?

I'm sure there could be :-)) But I am equally sure that you would know what was inappropriate if you saw it. Trust your judgment and pick what you like.

I browsed the page you linked and the ones I thought were inappropriate were the "Two lesbian women" one (not because lesbians, but because sex act), the bondage one, Lady at Phallus, Faun satisfied virgin, vagina/vulva, and Faun seduces a maid (I didn't go through everything). Sex acts definitely out. Extreme focus on genitalia not appropriate.

I have a couple stylized nudes in my home that I haven't had any concerns about displaying. The second one actually belongs outdoors, but is inside right now.

Objectifying another person to serve one's needs is inappropriate

As long as art is such that a person is seen as a person, a complex being, separate entity with a free will of his own-in short, where's there no de-humanization taking place-it doesn't matter much whether he/she is fully dressed, partially dressed, or is naked.

Every museum will have lots of nudes..and lots of kids looking at them, because we want kids to be inspired by art.

Kids will ask questions at some point, whether they see it in art or not. Maybe they asked them already, being 4 and 7. They know the difference between boys and girls by that age.

(they're funny when they're two-they might go by the length of one's hair))

They ask questions-their Mom or you address the questions. It's not the most uncomfortable or uneasy question to address..there will be more, and different, and many times one can find he doesn't know the answer.

So .."Trust your judgment and pick what you like." :)

I also have a nude sculpture in my foyer that I love. I've never once considered it inappropriate for children and never had any children or parents comment to me about it. In fact, I loved it so much, I had to have it. If people come over and find it inappropriate, too bad.

Cawaps, I love your sculptures, especially the second one with the multiple figures! And Annie’s too. Hannah, unless your sister has concens, I wouldn’t worry about nudity per se, but what intent and character the nudity reflects.

You're such a great auntie!
I just have a story I always thought was funny... I have five kids, had them all in 4.5 years and when they were still pretty young (elementary aged) we visited my sister, who was then childless by choice, and we took a trip to the Houston fine arts museum. They had a lot of nude statues, it was a wonderful trip really... but my poor homeschooled children all got pretty quiet and red faced. My sister was shocked that they'd gotten embarrassed by the nudes and assumed I'd been teaching them that nudity was wrong, blah, blah, blah... which confused me because out of the two of us she was always MUCH more naturally modest than I ever was! So right there in the museum she asked them what was wrong and my most outspoken son blurted out "well, it's a lot of butts and penises! I'm surrounded by them! Arghhhhh!" And then we kind of realized that their eye level was a bit different than our eye level and we had a great big laugh. We had a talk about fine art and the beauty of the human body and that was that. My children all grew up unscarred by the experience... one daughter is in nursing school and not phased by the human body, and that outspoken son is an elite platform and springboard diver and spends most of his waking hours in a tiny little speedo. My others are well adjusted too, LOL! I feel they all have what we consider to be an appropriate amount of modesty without any shame of the natural human form.
But I still remember the dread look on their faces when he blurted out "butts and penises," in the middle of the Houston museum, LOL! My sister did realize it was just them being little kids after all. LOL!
I wouldn't have had any issues with artistic nudes in a home we were visiting when my children were younger, the conversation eventually comes up anyways... somewhere... sometime... but it always comes up with kids. LOL!

Artistic nudes are fine. Kids might snicker. It's good for them.

As mentioned above, some of the nudes on the linked website are (1) not good art and (2) pretty damn porny. Porn is fine if you like it, but yeah, if we're decorating to be child-friendly, porn should stay in the private parts of the home.

I recommend finding art you like, with or without nudes. You'll end up with better stuff. An internet search for nude art isn't going to end with nice things. :)

I still remember when DD and I took her two boys to the Museum d'Orsay in Paris when the boys were 6 1/2 and not quite 9. That big sculpture hall with all the nudes in it - younger boy, took one look and said to elder brother, H, you take the "weenises" and I'll look for the "boobs"!. It was such a "proud" moment for my daughter...

I know art is personal, but to me the quality of what you've chosen is not the best, especially as compared to the other works shown. It seems to have no personality or soul. It reminds me more of a pin-up model. However, artistic merit is in the eye of the beholder.

This bronze of Titania was a wedding present to my grandparents in the early 1900s. My mom said it was embarrassing to her, esp. as a teenager, and pleaded with her parents to put it away but she did not prevail. Eventually it found its way to me and I've always loved her. It's always been in my living room and I've never had a single comment, not one, about her or her topless situation.

Wow! Thank
you guys for sharing all your wonderful stories, sculptures and opinions! I
really appreciate every single one!

Now I'm
feeling a bit silly for worrying so much about the whole thing. All your examples really inspired me. I think I'm going to take the two of them and my
sis to an art museum sometime soon. They will love it!

And about
the decorating, I'll just go for it. Of course, I won't chose something
"too pornographic" but now I know that aesthetic ones won't be a big
deal at all.

Have fun making your choice and enjoy your piece!