Last week in Paris, “life models” protested in the nude outside of City Hall. The demonstrators demanded higher pay and official contracts for their work posing as nude models for artists. The catalyst for the protest was the banning of the “cornet”, a tradition in life-drawing classes in which a rolled up piece of paper is passed around at the end of the class to collect tips for the model. Protesters hoped to raise awareness of their occupation as a legitimate career choice, deserving of the attendant benefits. I’d like to see some prominent artists come out in support of these models—after all, it’s the artists (and their art) who will suffer the most without them. Anyone who has ever taken a figure drawing class with a live model can attest to the fact that it’s an invaluable asset. For more on the plight of life models, see this article in the Guardian.
image via HuffPo
