Nudity in Art

Dear Bahà’i Friend,

Your email letter of 13 July 2008, enclosing a copy of an email of 15 January 2007 requesting guidance on the subject of nudity in art, has been received by the Universal House of Justice and referred to our Department for response.

In response to a similar question the House of Justice has stated that there is no objection to artists’ or students’ learning to depict the human body from nude models nor to Bahà’is acting as models; the overriding consideration in both cases is the bona fide intention of the artist or student. No passages in the Teachings have been found that prohibit the delineation of the human body in works of art. It is the practice of nudism that the Guardian condemns in The Advent of Divine Justice, not nudity. However, there are many variables in the question of the portrayal of the nude form in art, including those of local mores and attitudes. The intention of the artist is a very important factor; usually that is a matter left to the conscience and good taste of the individual artist.

With loving Bahà’i greetings,
Department of the Secretariat