New Youtube Art History Web Series
Sexy Secrets of Great Art
Following on the success of Professor Lear’s famous Shady Ladies and Gay Secrets tour of art museums from New York to London, Paris, Rome, and Athens, the Sexy Secrets of Great Art show will reveal the racy secrets hidden behind the masterpieces in the world’s great museums. From the courtesans of ancient Athens and the boy toys of Roman emperors to the ladies of the Japanese pleasure quarter, the mistresses of French and English kings, and the cocottes of Paris’ Belle Epoque salons, art history is more fun, more exciting, more intriguing than you’ve ever imagined, and this is the show that will open its secrets to you.
New Shady Ladies Zoom Tours
Join us for our online virtual tours
Tours last 75-90 minutes, including Q&A; note that start-times are in EDT (New York time). Please check back regularly (and follow us on Facebook!), as more tours will be added.
These tours are also available as private tours, for birthday parties, bachelorette parties, library groups, corporate women’s groups: you name it, anyone who is looking for a fun event centered on women.
ABOUT SHADY LADIES
Our art museum tours take you to the places that other tours don’t and show you the artworks that other tours won’t—complete with the sexy, intriguing, and sometimes scandalous backstories that cast them in an entirely new light.
TOUR GIFT CARDS
Looking for the perfect gift for that someone special in your life? Give the gift of a Shady Ladies Tours gift card today! Our e-certificates are simple to use and can be purchased for any amount!
CORPORATE TOURS
A Shady Ladies corporate tour is perfect for those who’d like a more intimate, personal experience with friends, family, or co-workers. We also offer tours for companies, corporations, educators, or any group looking for something unique to do together.
Let Them Eat Cake Tour
Ooh La La Tour of the Met
The French woman has been an object of fascination for centuries. Why is she so chic? How does she maintain her allure? What can I do to capture some of that mystery?
If those questions have ever nagged at you, there’s no need to hire a shopping consultant to get the answers. Just visit the Met instead!
The Metropolitan Museum is a true temple of feminine beauty, housing countless examples of the je ne sais quoi that defines French mystique.
Shady Ladies Tour
These women, famous not only for sex appeal but also for their talents—and for a spirit which today we would call ‘entrepreneurial’—fascinated both their wealthy patrons and the artists who made them the subjects of their masterpieces.
But who were they? How did they rise to their positions? And how did they maintain their prominence despite their scandalous reputations? LEARN MORE >
Nasty Women Tour
It might seem that the women in the Met are mostly Virgin Marys or bathing beauties. In fact, however, there are powerful and ambitious—even intimidating— women hidden throughout the collection.
From an entire gallery dedicated to a female Pharaoh to paintings by and of famous suffragettes, the Met has a surprisingly rich collection of women who ruled, frightened, patronized, painted, and politicked—in short, countless role models for today’s liberated woman. LEARN MORE >
Dressed To Kill Tour
This tour is about everything glamorous. From the grand hairdos of Imperial Rome to the outrageous wigs of the court at Versailles;
from gold ear spools in pre-Columbian America to neck rings in Africa and Southeast Asia;
and from three hundred years of torturous corsets to three thousand years of gorgeous cosmetics, the history of fashion is on dazzling display at the Met. LEARN MORE >
Shady Ladies Boston Tour
For several years, Shady Ladies has been setting New York ablaze with its tours of the Metropolitan Museum, telling people the fascinating backstories that bring the museum to life—especially stories of women and their struggle for power.
Now it comes to Boston to show you a whole new side of the MFA!
On this tour you’ll see women from every walk of life, except for obedient wives—courtesans, goddesses, priestesses, and even some murderesses as well. LEARN MORE >
Shady Ladies of Paris
More than any other city in the world, Paris has a rich history of seductive women who rose to the top.
From royal mistresses like Madame de Pompadour and Madame du Barry, to courtesans like the (real!) Lady of the Camellias, the Shady Ladies of Paris reigned over the so-called demi-monde, a glittering section of high society that—even if it had to glitter in the shade—was often the true center of power.
Let Shady Ladies Tours introduce you to this intriguing side of Paris, from Catherine de Médicis (and her arch-rival, Duchess Diane de Poitiers) to racy, modern women such as Camille Claudel, Colette, and Coco Chanel. LEARN MORE >
The Shady Ladies Tour at the Met was so much fun! Professor Lear has tons of great stories of the scandalous behavior behind the all those posh-looking ladies on the walls of the Met, and his depth of knowledge is very impressive. I want to know ALL the secrets, and will be back for the other tours that he offers. You will have a GREAT time—most highly recommended
I learned a lot and had some good laughs. Nice way to reconnect with old friends and see things at the MFA I typically would not have on my own.
I could have gone another two hours on the nasty ladies tour. Our tour guide, Rena, taught us world history, art history, and art appreciation all the while entertaining us.
It was 1/3 cultural history, 1/3 education of custom and culture, and 1/3 saucy tales of the power of women. The true value of Shady Ladies was the experience of the founder/guide/art history professor who took us to areas of the Met that were off the beaten path. And he offers a Paris version
