French art of the 19th century underwent a transformation that was perhaps more dramatic and revolutionary than any other moment in art history. It was not only an aesthetic transformation, but also an ideological one as subjects and perspectives became evermore modern. The prevailing artistic trope where this transformation is perhaps most easily seen is in the female nude figure. During this time period, the female body had become more accepted, leading to a surge in nude art all over the world. For centuries, artists have turned to the female body form as an inspiration for their canvases. Yet, before the modern art era, depictions of the nude female human body were almost wholly restricted to scenes from Greek mythology — it was believed that the paganism of the ancients excused their lack of modesty.

Museum-goers viewing the " Splendour and Misery: Images of Prostitution " watched as Luxembourg artist Deborah de Robertis stripped and took on the pose of Edouard Manet's famed "Olympia". De Robertis "was wearing a portable camera to film the public's reaction. It was an artistic performance", said her lawyer Tewfik Bouzenoune. He cited the case of South African artist Steve Cohen who was found guilty of indecent exposure in after dancing around in front of the Eiffel Tower with a live rooster attached to his penis with a ribbon. It was not the painting's first scandal: the depiction of a naked woman gazing directly at the viewer created an uproar when it was shown in

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