The much-talked-about Classical Nudes series from Pornhub quickly landed in trouble. Complaints from various galleries have prompted the website to remove its content.
The Classical Nudes project by Pornhub is an interactive guide for some of the most famous erotic artworks. At the time of its launch, Pornhub said that the project was supposed to help art institutions recover from financial perils wrecked by the lockdowns. The company reasoned that by making this erotic guide, they can stir the attention of the public towards art and persuade them to help art institutions.
However, these noble intentions didn’t sit well with some of the major art institutions. The first to retaliate was the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, which announced its intention to sue Pornhub soon after the launch of Classical Nudes. The basis of the lawsuit was copyright infringement; in particular, it mentioned Venus of Urbino (1538) and its pornographic re-enactment by Pornhub.
The Louvre in Paris soon followed suit, taking legal action against Pornhub for using Gabrielle d’Estrees and One of Her Sisters (1594) without permission. Soon, the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid filed a case too. It named multiple works used by the company without permission, including La Maja Desnuda (ca. 1797–1800) by Francesco de Goya.
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Pornhub has agreed to remove the content of these 3 galleries from its Classical Nudes series. However, the company neither removed nor commented on removing similar works from other galleries. Works from many other top museums, like National Gallery in London and MMA in New York are still used by the company.
