Naturism uncovered… Familiar, utopian, dancing, anarchist, hygienist, the movement is extremely eclectic, especially in France, which is said to be the world’s leading tourist destination for its followers. It is an excellent pretext for the exhibition that will be dedicated to it this summer, and until the beginning of December, at the Mucem in Marseille. Where we learn, from a multitude of bodies dressed as Eve and Adam, that naturism nourishes many other dreams than getting into the simplest apparatus. From Cap d’Agde, on the Mediterranean coast, to Physiopolis, near Paris, in the past “naturist island” self-proclaimed, A real nebula of nude enthusiasts is emerging.
The roots of the movement date back to the early 20th century.my century. Industrialization, pollution, urbanization: certain original minds rebel and advocate a return to a state of nature considered ideal. Germany, but also German-speaking countries such as Austria and Switzerland, are attracted by the concept of Reform of life. a wish for “reform life” which leads some activists to create libertarian communities, supported by night culture.
This “culture of nudity” sings of the pleasures of a free body, which reconnects with a forgotten Eden. Pioneers of the movement, the artistic avant-gardes, with the expressionists at the forefront. On the heights of Ascona, in Switzerland, Monte Verita is one of the first paradises to be rediscovered. During the first three decades of the 20th centurymy century, attracted bankers and bourgeois on the move, but also dancers and painters.
Hygienist Utopia
The trend soon spread to France, first in closed places, islands or private castles. “The interesting thing about the history of naturism in France is that it was built between the two wars, in a country where nudity was marked by shame and censorship, unlike in Germany,” says Amélie Lavin, co-curator of the exhibition with, among others, HE the philosopher Bernard Andrieu and Jean-Pierre Blanc, director of the Villa Noailles, in Hyères (Var).
The medical profession is not left out. Many French naturopathic doctors are calling for the unveiling of bodies, celebrating the health benefits of air baths, heliotherapy sessions and herbal treatments. No meat, no alcohol, no gym: nudism is just one of the components of this hygienic utopia.
Under the sun, the naturist community is growing. From Jacques-Henri Lartigue to Man Ray, it attracts photographers eager to bring nudity out of its academicism. In the 1950s, the practice became popular. Surrounded by three seas and with its mild climate, France became a paradise. The French Federation of Naturism organised the most proselytising ones, and Sun Clubs were born, from the Sparta-Club in Chambourcy (Yvelines) to the Héliomarin Centre in Montalivet (Gironde). All of them are modelled on the island of Levant, off the coast of Hyères.
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