A celebration of Rude Britannia crammed with saucy postcards and depictions of bare backsides and a variety of sexual acts went on display yesterday in one of the country's most respected arts institutions.
Tate Britain is hosting what it described as a "ground-breaking" show, featuring works by political cartoonist Gerald Scarfe and the team at Viz magazine - as well as a room of surreal objects curated by TV funnyman Harry Hill.
Mr Scarfe, whose works on show include preliminary sketches of David Cameron, Nick Clegg, and Barack Obama, attended the exhibition's launch.
A drawing by Mr Scarfe depicting the late clean-up TV crusader Mary Whitehouse in a sexual position is also displayed, in a room dedicated to The Bawdy.
Mr Scarfe said that even he was slightly taken aback that the 1971 cartoon, titled Mrs Mary Righteous explains her position to the Pope, had gone on show.
He said: "That's extraordinary to have got that in the Tate - even I'm a bit shocked."
Among the exhibits is a "thank you" letter to Mr Scarfe from Prime Minister Cameron.
Mr Scarfe said sometimes his "victims" turned out to be fans, adding: "They would rather be noticed than not noticed, even if it's a lousy depiction."
Mr Hill's room dedicated to The Absurd includes an anvil suspended above a door, held up by a rope with what appears to be a burning candle close by.
Scrawled on the wall nearby is a message which reads: "This is my anvil. If you stand underneath it, it won't fall on your head, I promise. Harry."
Nearby is a door fixed to the wall, with a picture of bricks behind it. Words are written by the door which read: "Behind the door is a fake wall. Behind the fake wall is a real wall. We took a photo of the real wall and reproduced it exactly to show you what the walls of the Tate Gallery look like. They are beautiful. Harry."
A larger than life banana, a giant bear's head and a taxidermy kitten bearing a sign declaring: "I'm dead", are also among exhibits by artists in the room curated by Mr Hill.
Mr Hill has said: "I love comedy and I love art. The absurd is my area of expertise and it will be good to get the disparate strands under one roof, with a few surprises on the way."
He described it as a "thrill" to be asked to contribute to the Tate Britain exhibition.
Martin Myrone, curator of 18th and 19th century British art at Tate Britain, said: "Humour is a really important aspect of British cultural history.
"This is a chance for comic artists and humourists to be recognised."
The exhibition also features Victorian artist George Cruikshank's oil painting The Worship of Bacchus, with its subjects showing increasing levels of drunkenness and violence.
A Spitting Image puppet of Baroness Thatcher is also among the display, as well as drawings of Viz characters Sid the Sexist and the Fat Slags and various seaside postcards.
Rude Britannia: British Comic Art is on display at Tate Britain in London until September 5.