Peep show set up in National Gallery

A classically-inspired peep show has been set up by a Turner Prize-winning artist in the middle of the National Gallery.

Mark Wallinger took to Twitter to find six women, all called Diana, willing to take turns to be spied upon while they sit naked in a mocked-up bathroom.

The work, also called Diana, is inspired by three paintings by Titian which form the centrepiece of the exhibition and features scenes from Greek mythology.

They tell the story of how the young hunter Actaeon stumbled upon Diana, the Goddess of the Hunt, bathing naked and was turned into a stag to be torn apart by his own dogs in revenge.

They are part of a series of six works created for King Philip II of Spain in the 16th century and were deemed so racy they were covered up with a curtain in the presence of the ladies of the court.

Visitors to Wallinger's work can look through peepholes, blinds and a keyhole to catch a glimpse of the women who perform the role of Diana working in two-hour shifts.

Wallinger said: ''Diana is about watching and being caught in the act and evolved out of my desire to find a way of representing Diana bathing in a contemporary way.''

He said there were very few rules for what his models could and could not do but they had to behave ''suitably goddess-ish''.

The artist said finding his real-life Dianas was difficult, adding: ''I did it initially through emails and contacts and then finally Twitter was the key that unlocked it.''

The show, called Metamorphosis: Titian is on at the gallery from this Wednesday to September 23.