Jacob Epstein

Above: remnants of statuary on the former BMA building in the Strand. The building was designed by Charles Holden and the statues were carved by Jacob Epstein. When the hoardings came down in 1908 there was an outcry in the press on the grounds that the sculptures were so anatomically detailed they would corrupt the minds of people passing in the street.

Eventually the statues were partially destroyed on the spurious grounds that they were unsafe.

Added 19th March:

I meant to go on to discuss the way in which society has changed, and public nudity is now so commonplace we hardly notice it (there was a recent report on Newsnight about the way we are bombarded with hundreds of sexual images just walking down the street).

I then meant to go on to discuss Dolce & Gabbana advertising and their use of photography that combines nudity with implicit violence.

But as usual there is never enough time.