Goodman, the former chairman of Sotheby’s Australia, plans to relaunch his online auction firm with an Erotic, Fetish & Queer Art auction, scheduled for September 11.
However, its advertising strategy for the sale has not gone to plan after Facebook refused to publish images in the adverts.
In an email seen by ATG, Facebook said the advert was against its advertising guidelines, and added: “We don’t allow adverts that depict nudity, even if it isn’t sexual in nature. This includes the use of nudity for artistic or educational purposes.”
A FAB spokesman said that Facebook had asked for parts of the images to be “made ‘decent’ by covering up the offending bits”.
Nudity in artwork for Fine Art Bourse (FAB)'s Erotic, Fetish & Queer Art auction has been stopped by Facebook due to it breaching Facebook's advertising guidelines.
Goodman first launched his business in London in June 2015 – with an auction planned for the following September – only to close within two months after running out of money. Ten staff at offices in Finsbury Park left and arrangements with 30 consultants were terminated.
This time, Goodman will run a smaller team outsourcing cataloguing to specialists. He said the technology has been “redesigned and totally rebuilt”.
A second auction will take place with Bondi Beach gallery Cooee Art on November 14. It includes Earth’s Creation I by Emily Kame Kngwarreye (c.1910-96), last sold for just over Aus$1m at Lawson-Menzies in 2007.
ATG is awaiting a comment from Facebook.
