French teachers go on strike after complaints about Renaissance nude painting

A 17th-century Renaissance painting by Giuseppe Cesari is at the center of yet another controversy over school censorship.

A 1603 painting of Diana and Actaeon on display at the Louvre has "disturbed" some students, according to French newspaper Le Monde.

Cesari’s work, which depicts the hunter Actaeon interfering with the goddess Diana and the bathing nymphs surrounding her, was shown on December 7, during the "vie de classe", the general education period in French schools, to 11-12 year old students at the Jacques Cartier school in Issou.

Several students at the French school also alleged that the teacher made Islamophobic remarks, which the school administration denies, Art Newspaper reported. Some parents also filed complaints with the school, The Times reported.

Paintings by Giuseppe Cesari

As a sign of solidarity with the teacher who showed Cesari’s painting, school staff refused to work. In addition, staff noted “acts of defamation, multiplication and aggravation of incidents (against staff) and attacks on secularism” in a letter to the director of the French national education service dated December 8, which did not specifically mention this incident.

On December 11, French Education Minister Gabriel Attal visited the school and announced that the students would be reprimanded. After this, the school reopened.

This is the second such incident to make international headlines in 2023. Earlier this year, the resignation of a Florida school principal over the display of Michelangelo’s nude sculpture "David" sparked heated debate over how art history should be taught in the classroom, prompting the Florida Department of Education to declare its "artistic value."