The Vienna Tourist Board is turning to OnlyFans to showcase the explicit works of art on display in the city’s museums. This move follows content strikes from Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for sharing artwork displaying nudity.
The city of Vienna is taking an unusual approach to art control. In response to censorship of creative works on social media, the Vienna tourism board has launched an OnlyFans account. Explicit artworks from the city’s most respected museums now appear on the adults-only website.
This move towards social media acts in response to the blocking of artistic content which contains nudity. Per ArtNews, “The Viennese are very open-minded,” says Helena Hartlauer, head of media relations at the Vienna Tourist Board.
In a statement, the Vienna Tourism Board explains that,
“The battle against censorship still rages on: with the rise of social media, bans like these are back in headlines once again. Major social media channels like Instagram and Facebook have nudity and “lewd” content firmly in their sights.”
Austrian museums, including the Albertina and the Leopold, have recently become victims of censorship.
In July, the Albertina Museum’s TikTok account shut down for displaying works by Japanese artist and photographer, Nobuyoshi Araki. The community standard violation is due to a partially-obscured breast.
Per CNN, the capital’s tourism board states that Vienna is home to
“Some of the world’s most famous artists… Whose works pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable in art and society at the time”
Adding that, “Vienna and its art institutions are among the casualties of this new wave of prudishness.” This has culminated in a decision to put, “the capital’s world-famous ‘explicit’ artworks on OnlyFans.”
More Than Just a Publicity Stunt
In response to ongoing censorship, Vienna’s sexually explicit content is now on full display thru OnlyFans. The subscription-based software allows users to access exclusive (and sometimes pornographic) content for $4.99 a month.
“shook up social media by giving creators a platform where they could freely share nude and pornographic content with subscribers.”
Vienna’s most prestigious museums’ collections include painted nudes and erotic monuments. The decision to publish artworks to the adults-only platform is due to the online viewing process facing disruption via social media restrictions.
Hartlauer claims that the OnlyFans offering is more than just a publicity stunt. Per ArtNews, the institutions are aiming to “start a conversation” about the social media and its associated problems.
Per ArtNews, Hartlauer explains that it’s becoming more difficult to understand what social media outlets will label as explicit. She says,
“These platforms aren’t transparent at all.”
Similar projects include the summer’s Classic Nudes Guide by Pornhub. This site allows users to look for nude images in some of the world’s most prominent art galleries.
Unfortunately, museums have not been keen on the concept. The Louvre, the Uffizi, and the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid are all threatening to sue Pornhub. This is over recreations of classic artworks from their collections, including Titian’s Venus of Urbino (1538) in the Uffizi.
Acceptable In Art and Society
Vienna tourist board’s OnlyFans account freely posts images of artworks which traditional social networks categorise as “inappropriate” or “pornographic.” OnlyFans is well known for allowing creators to post sexually explicit content for their paying subscribers.
Vienna’s tourism board explains in a statement that their city is home to artists “whose works pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable in art and society at the time.”
Vienna’s tourism authority, however, states it has no problems with the sexual nature of the artworks in its collection. “We also wanted to do this to show solidarity with artists who are censored,” Hartlauer explains.
“If you can’t show your artwork on social media this can really be an obstacle to your communications efforts, and even to your career.”
How It Works
“uncensored works of art in question can be seen in the flesh.”
The featured museums include the Leopold Museum, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Naturhistorisches Museum Vienna and Albertina. To check out the terms and conditions, visit the official OnlyFans channel.
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