A highly provocative photo of pop star Madonna taken by fashion photographer Steven Meisel has been put up for sale. "The Material Girl" is literally naked in the photo. To see the picture, click here.

According to The Sun, the 1990 picture is expected to fetch over £5,000 when it goes under the hammer at Bonhams in New York next month. The photo features her "bleach-blonde hair" and "dark eye make-up."

Only white bed sheets save the photo from indecency. The pop star is seen enjoying a cigarette with a highly seductive look on her face. She seems to be facing the camera and her nails look well manicured. The black and white photo clearly reveals her breasts and it is only the sheet that saves the photo from being branded as "completely naked."

The photo reminds one of her controversial book "Sex" that was published in 1992 which contained erotic pictures of her taken by Steven Meisel himself. The book had sold more than 1.5 million copies in just a few days after it was published. The book, at that time, had coincided with her fifth studio album Erotica. Madonna was just 32 years old when the book was released. The controversial book at that time was speculated to be a promotional material for her album.

"This is an absolutely stunning image and it is just a beautiful tone of grey. It is not just black and white, it is grey and silvery. Madonna was posing for a number of photographs at the time this was taken in the 1990s when she was in her early 30s. She was going through a phase of having bleach blonde hair and heavy dark-eye make-up that gave her a dramatic look - and of course she has a gorgeous body. She is a very healthy person and I would imagine the cigarette is just a prop to make her look sexy and sultry. There are Madonna super fans and devotees across the world who would love to own it," Judic Eurich from the sale room was quoted as saying by My Fabulous Style.

According to the Daily Mail, the photo measures 21.5 inches by 19 inches and was bought by the vendor from a New York gallery.

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