On Monday, CNN.com reported that a 1778 painting by the Spanish master Francisco de Goya y Lucientes titled “Children with a Cart” was stolen while being transported from the Toledo, Ohio Museum of Art to the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan. The painting is insured for more than $1 million dollars. A $50,000 reward is offered for information leading to the recovery of the painting.

Two of Goya’s best known paintings are The Nude Maja (La Maja desnuda) and The Clothed Maja (La Maja vestida). Goya painted La Maja Vestida after outrage in Spanish society over the previous Desnuda. Naked art up until that time had been nonsexual, and the desnuda seemed to cross moral lines of the day, consequently, some people were upset. It seems a bit tame by today’s standards.

Warning! As you might imagine, Goya’s painting (the Nude Maja) contains non-pornographic nudity. You might not want to click on the thumbnail if you’re offended by naked art *

* Back in 1997, a traveling exhibition of Rodin’s sculptures passed through BYU. Four sculptures containing nudity were pulled from the exhibit, including the famous sculpture, “The Kiss”.

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