More than 1,500 people gathered around a statue of 19th century liberation hero Simon Bolivar on Sunday and posed nude for a U.S. artist famous for his photos of naked crowds in public spaces.

Nude volunteers prepare to pose for a photograph by American artist Spencer Tunick, not seen, at sunrise on Ave. Bolivar in downtown Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, March 19, 2006. Tunick has photographed and filmed masses of people in the nude in dozens of public places from Finland to Australia. [AP]

Spencer Tunick organized the Caracas photo shoot along downtown Avenida Bolivar, a frequent spot for political rallies by supporters of President Hugo Chavez.

Surrounded by dozens of reporters and onlookers, the participants cracked jokes, shouted cheers for Tunick and struck poses for the press.

"I worked very, very hard and the people were extremely, extremely, extremely exuberant," Tunick said after the shoot.

"It's a new experience. And beyond the disinhibition of taking off clothes, this also involves art," said Jerry Lino, 30, who took part in the event. "One never feels naked."

More than 7,800 people had signed up, but only between 1,500 and 2,000 showed up.

Bolivar looms large in the rhetoric of Chavez. The populist president says he is leading a leftist "Bolivarian Revolution" to end poverty in the South American nation.

Tunick has photographed nude people in New York City as well as other urban centers around the world including London, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Vienna, Austria.