Moan-a Lisa: Louvre to sue Pornhub for alleged X-rated art theft

They didn’t Louvre this idea.

Museums might be filled with NSFW artworks, but that doesn’t mean they want them porno-fied without permission. Online skin bazaar Pornhub is facing legal action from the Louvre and other institutions over a steamy new interactive website in which porn stars perform raunchy re-enactments of various European masterpieces.

“No one has granted authorizations for the operation or use of the art,” a spokesperson for Florence’s Uffizi Gallery told the Daily Beast.

They’re referring to the first edition of Pornhub’s “Classic Nudes,” an online sexhibit that offers a virtual tour of “some of the sexiest scenes in history at the world’s most famous museums,” per the site’s landing page. As such, they feature a pleasure trove of X-rated artworks from museums ranging from the Louvre in Paris to New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. In trademark Pornhub style, many have been “adult-erated” for erotic effect.

Thought the iconic nude portrait “Venus of Urbino” was too demure? Simply click on the Pornhub version, in which “Venus” — played by a skin flick actor from porno firm My Sweet Apple — will literally come to life and start pleasuring herself like a Renaissance-era webcam girl.

Another lewd display features a reimagining of Edgar Vegas’ immortal “Male Nude” from the Met, which descends into full-on fellatio. Think an X-rated version of the interactive paintings from the Harry Potter books.

The painting "Venus of Urbino" is among the works being brought to life by Pornhub.
The painting “Venus of Urbino” is among the works being brought to life by Pornhub.
Getty Images

If that wasn’t titillating enough, each risqué artwork is accompanied by a salacious caption you likely won’t find in a museum. Take, for example, a description of Ingres’ “The Grand Odalisque” from 1814, which suggests the nude woman possesses “tastefully romanticist side boob.”

Or how about this sophomoric synopsis of Caravaggio’s “Boy Bitten By Lizard” from the late 16th century? It invokes the art world theory that “bitten by a lizard” is “actually some kind of renaissance euphemism, like spanking the monkey or flogging the dolphin,” adding that “art critics are pretty sure the ‘lizard’ responsible for this boy’s expression is a species known as the one-eyed pants-lizard. (I’m talking about his wang.)”

Not content with viewing these pornographic paintings online? Lecherous culture vultures are encouraged to visit the “Classic Nudes” in person while armed with the Pornhub mobile app, which features audio commentary from porn star and company brand ambassador Asa Akira, the Daily Beast reported.

“Pornhub has heard from our lawyers. We expect the works to be removed at once.”

“Let me help you skip all of the boring paintings like The Mona Lisa and go straight to the pervy stuff at The Louvre, Museo del Prado, Musee d’Orsay, The Met, and more,” wrote the “Wolverine XXX” star on Instagram. “I learned more French recording this than I did in five years of high school. Yes, five.”

Suffice it to say, the carnal compendium didn’t sit too well with the museums, a few of which threatened Pornhub with legal action over the unauthorized reproduction of their artwork.

“Pornhub has heard from our lawyers,” said a spokesperson for the Louvre. “We expect the works to be removed at once.”

The Uffizi Gallery also plans to follow suit.

“In Italy, the cultural heritage code provides that in order to use images of a museum, compressed works for commercial purposes, it is necessary to have the permission, which regulates the methods and sets the relative fee to be paid,” claimed a spokesperson. “All this obviously if the museum grants the authorization which, for example, would hardly have been issued in this case.”

Neither Pornhub nor the Metropolitan Museum of Art immediately returned a request for comment from The Post.

source: nypost.com