All this is possible thanks to those wacky folks at Stella Artois, where someone has come up with the frankly bonkers idea of inviting some actual artists (as opposed to the other kind) to “reimagine icons of the UK culture, the pub signs, naked”.
Concerned about being “stripped of its pubs”, the brand decided to strip the clothing from some classic pub sign designs.
Limited edition prints are for sale, with profits going to charity Hospitality Action to help its good works in the under-pressure pub sector, with Stella Artois stating that 400 pubs were shuttered last year.
As well as the Queen Vic and King’s Head, we have a hairy-chested Duke of Wellington, a naked Britannia, a Ray Harryhausen-esque Robin Hood, and some artful leg and glove placements concealing the modesty of ‘The Cricketers’.
Reaction to the campaign on social media has been… mixed.
Still, at £35 for an A3 print, the art is also suitably on brand and “reassuringly expensive”.