NEW art exhibition featuring female nudity has been been given an adults-only rating by the gallery.

Children have been banned from Basildon’s town centre Eastgate Art Gallery, for the duration of the Fifty Shades exhibition – named after the hit book and film.

Artist Perry Sullivan, 53, admits his work, including a woman trussed up with tape, is likely to cause a stir.

He started his artistic career, painting superheroes when he was a child, and became a professional artist ten years ago.

Mr Sullivan, who has lived in the town since 1973, said his latest work was inspired by his time working at erotic art galleries in Brighton and London’s Soho.

He added: “I’ve had pieces displayed at the Eastgate before, which didn’t show boobs or anything, although they were quite suggestive. I had people coming up to me asking why we didn’t warn them, but if you look a paintings throughout the history of art, a lot of them all feature naked women.

“One of my favourite artists is Lucian Freud, and a lot of his work features naked men, which is very controversial.

“Naked women seem to be more acceptable because, let’s be honest, they are nicer to look at.

“I’ve always been interested in the human form.”

Mr Sullivan says his latest work was influenced by the interest in the darker side of eroticism, sparked by Fifty Shades of Grey.

However, the collection also features a touching painting of a cancer sufferer with tears streaming down her face.

He added: “My work gets people thinking, and that’s what I want to do.

“People are entitled to say whatever they like, but they can’t tell me what I can paint.

“This exhibition will certainly get people taking, and if it gets them talking about art in general, then I’m happy.

“I want Basildon to become like East London, or even Southend and Leigh – to have a much more vibrant art scene. All we’ve got here is this one gallery.”

Warning signs will be put up at the entrance of the gallery, on the top floor of the Eastgate Shopping Centre, when the exhibition opens tomorrow. It runs until until Sunday, May 31.