National Gallery pays $8m for Hustler centrefold

[Edition 38] CANBERRA, Monday: The National Gallery of Australia has purchased a rare back-issue centrefold from the US magazine Hustler, as part of its ongoing commitment to acquiring lesser-known pornography.

[Edition 38] CANBERRA, Monday: The National Gallery of Australia has purchased a rare back-issue centrefold from the US magazine Hustler, as part of its ongoing commitment to acquiring lesser-known pornography.

NGA director Brian Kennedy said he fell in love with the work the instant he laid eyes on it as an adolescent boy.

“It has a unique quality which really captivates me,” said Kennedy. “It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what it is – whether it’s the sense of composition, or the extraordinary use of light. Or maybe it’s just those really big tits.”

The acclaimed work features a topless woman bending over a car bonnet for no apparent reason. Critics say the centrefold is one of the finest examples of Hustler’s early period work.

Kennedy said he didn’t think $8 million was an unreasonable sum to pay for such an important masterpiece.

“It’s probably worth much more than that,” he said. “But they knocked a bit off the price for me because of the staple holes and odd-smelling stains.”