The history of nude art in the Middle East is often overlooked, but in fact, such works have been found dating back to the eighth century. One of these sites, Quseir Amra in present-day Jordan, features frescoes depicting nude women, challenging previous beliefs about early Islamic art. Additionally, sculptures of partially nude women have been discovered at other palaces in the region.
Further evidence of nude art in the Middle East comes from a drawing of a partially nude courtesan, believed to be from the 10th to 12th centuries in present-day Cairo. After this period, nude artworks in the region became scarce until the spread of erotic manuscripts in the Ottoman Empire.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as the Ottoman Empire was in decline and European influence was growing, many Arab countries experienced a cultural renaissance known as the Nahda. This period of curiosity and openness led to a flourishing of nude art, as seen in the Wallach exhibition.
Around the same time, the Islamic reformer Muhammad Abduh, who was the Grand Mufti of Egypt, traveled to Europe and was amazed by its museums and scientific institutes. He subsequently issued a religious edict allowing the depiction of living beings for scientific and educational purposes, which many artists saw as permission to paint nude bodies.
According to Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, the founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation, this moment in history was pivotal for Arab art, as it marked an opening for artists to explore nude subjects in their work.