Caillebotte gave us the beautiful butt no one wanted to see.

You know you're doing something right when they ban your painting. But you know society hasn't made any progress at all if they’re still freaking out about it 120 years later.

Even though the late 1800’s are well known for non-photoshopped, “real” portrayals of people, there's something odd about this one. Gustave Caillebotte didn't paint a curvy naked lady or some David-esque male figure. Instead, he depicted a normal, 19th century average Joe. Or Jean since the guy was probably French. But it is odd, a naked guy drying himself after a nice bath. Some say Caillebotte might have gotten inspired after he bought some of Edgar Degas’ female bathers. But come on, he must have been there when the guy was bathing, or at least the painting is staged to look as if he had done so. So it could be that he just really liked naked men. Can’t blame him!

In 1888 he sent the painting to be exhibited at the Les XX show in Brussels. Yet, the Belgians weren't that fond of hanging a naked male butt in the gallery. Which is strange because ever since 1619, there's been a statue of a naked baby boy pissing in the center of Brussels. Anyways, the painting was so controversial they removed it from the exhibition and placed it in a room no-one was able to enter. Caillebotte’s heirs were stuck with the painting for some time and even after they sold it, it was to a private collection. Eventually the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston decided they wanted to buy the painting for their Degas and the Nudes exhibition in 2011.

Hmmm, but it was still a painting of a naked guy right? So the chairman of the museum's European Art department was pretty sure no one would want to fund this purchase. I mean who would want to see a nude dude right? Just disgusting! But who needs donors when you have a great painting collection already? The museum decided to sell eight of its paintings to raise money themselves and buy this beautiful butt anyway. It now hangs there loud and proud in all its gluteus glory.