Glasgow subway advert featuring Michelangelo’s David BANNED for nudity
An advert showing Michelangelo’s David sculpture has been banned from Glasgow Underground for showing nudity.
Barolo, an Italian restaurant on the city’s Hope Street, commissioned the commercial, which featured the famous statue with the caption, “It doesn’t get any more Italian.”
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However, the restaurant was told to hide the sculpture’s modesty, fearing it might be viewed as obscene the times.
Global, which is responsible for marketing Scotland’s only underground, had rejected the original design, which saw the iconic figure found in Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze cut off at the knees.
The company told the restaurant that it had to put stickers with the Italian flag over the statue’s genitals.
They then claimed the stickers were too small.
The advert was eventually redesigned with the image of David cropped to the waist, which was approved and can now be seen on the walls of the subway.
But the move sparked a backlash as some took note of the statue’s fame in the art world.
Mario Gizzi, director of the DRG Group, which runs Barolo, told the Times: “This is a work of art recognized worldwide.”
“It’s taught in schools.
“People come from all over the world to see it.
“It’s no longer the 1500s, it’s the year 2023.”
“Are we really saying that the people of Glasgow can’t bear to see a naked statue?”
Mr Gizzi also said that Barolo “is all about the classic cuisine of Italy and Michelangelo’s David is one of the country’s most celebrated works of art.”
“As the ad says. It doesn’t get any more Italian than that.”
Richard Demarco, a Scottish artist and patron of the Edinburgh Festival, told the Times he feared the market would impose “a certain prudishness” on such classic works of art.
He added, “It’s absolutely as I would expect and that’s obviously nonsense.”
“It proves that despite their best efforts, Glasgow and Edinburgh cannot be relied upon to understand the true message of great artists.”
“I think it’s a fantastic idea to have a picture of this masterpiece on the Glasgow Underground and citizens are lucky to be able to learn so much about it.”
A spokesman for the Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) said: “It is in the gift of media owners to refuse advertising space.”
“They often have their own criteria for what they accept, alongside the advertising code.
“This is a commercial decision and not something we regulate.”
“We respond to concerns about ads as soon as they are publicly available.
“The Advertising Code does not prohibit nudity in advertising.
“According to our rules, some level of nudity may be considered acceptable provided the level of nudity is not explicit or unfounded and is relevant to the product.”
“Our criteria are not based on the ‘amount’ of nudity in an ad, but rather whether an ad’s content, targeting or placement is irresponsible and likely to encourage serious or widespread crime.”
Global was contacted for comment.
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