The French Government's Secret Porn Stash
The Bibliothèque Nationale understands that, as a government institution, the fastest way to make money is to charge for nearly everything. But how to bring the crowds to the library? Sex. Lots and lots of sex. Starting this week, the Bibliothèque's newest exhibition is "L'Enfer" ("Hell"), a collection of greatest hits from the library's pornography archives.
Keep in mind that the BN has the world's second largest porn archive, behind only the Vatican Library. Highlights include original works from Charles Baudelaire, Man Ray (a vintage photograph of a blowjob), and the Marquis de Sade alongside a collection of vintage French Revolution pornography (featuring, natch, Marie Antoinette), plus the private porn stash of 19th century prime minister Leon Gambetta. To promote the exhibition at the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand, the Paris Metro is using a decommissioned subway station on Line 10, where "large reproductions of naughty old prints will be glimpsed briefly through drifting curtains."
