NAKED men and women, many in full frontal poses, form the core of an art exhibition likely to cause more controversy than the recent fuss over Bill Henson photographs.

Art of the Nude is a collection of 90 paintings, drawings, prints and sculpture from the collection of Brisbane lawyer Alex Mackay, a noted patron of the arts in Queensland.

It was curated for the Albury Art Gallery by Kevin Wilson, who will quit his job as the city’s cultural services chief next week for an arts job in Brisbane.

Prominent Victorian art patron Michael Moon will open the exhibition tomorrow evening.

Mr Wilson insisted yesterday the exhibition was “much tamer” than an R-rated exhibition he had staged at Noosa, also from the Mackay collection.

Among older oil paintings is one by war artist Ivor Hele showing a clothed man with a naked prostitute, while a Charles Blackman painting is of two naked women.

“I wouldn’t call this exhibition erotic,” Mr Wilson said.

“It shows the body as an artist’s medium and is certainly sensual with elements of sexuality, but the works would only offend someone offended by bodies.”

Mr Wilson said the 90 works selected included artists of world-renown, such as Blackman, Fred Williams, Hele, Thea Proctor and photographer Max Dupain.

Bill Henson photographs removed from the gallery recently depicted a young girl.

The gallery doesn’t discuss monetary values of exhibition, but with so many works by leading artists the value of this one is considerable.

Mr Wilson agreed some works were “a bit in your face” but he said there was no depiction of sex.

He had deliberately excluded such pictures.

“This is a serious art exhibition but some of the images are a bit of a laugh,” he said.

Mr Wilson said many works had not been seen in state or national galleries.

Several are by artist Stewart MacFarlane, who introduced Mr Wilson to Mr Mackay.

Mr Wilson will give lunchtime floor talks from Monday to Wednesday and there will be a Rolf Harris-style competition during the two-months-long exhibition by three artists painting a live model.

“The model will wear a swimsuit,” he said.