A nude sculpture of pregnant Kim Kardashian has been unveiled.

Artist Daniel Edwards has created the artwork, titled 'L.A. Fertility', which portrays the reality TV star - who is expecting her first child with boyfriend Kanye West in July - in the late stages of pregnancy with a voluminous belly ''designed to entice visitors to give a respectful rub for good luck and success,'' according to publicist Cory Allen.

Daniel said: ''I was inspired by the beauty of Kim Kardashian and felt quite put-off by the media's criticism of her weight gain during pregnancy. Such criticism should be off limits.''

Cory added: ''We live in a media-absorbed culture where anyone can access and share a celebrity's most intimate moments. Daniel visually captures 'that' intimacy.''

The sculpture - which is part of the artist's 'Celebrity Baby Boomer' series that began with the 2006 controversial sculpture 'Monument to Pro-Life, depicting a nude Britney Spears giving birth on a bearskin rug - will be displayed at LAB ART Gallery in Los Angeles.

Other works in the exhibit will include bronzes of Kim and Kanye's baby, depicted as a chubby-cheek-cherub with a swirl design pattern shaved in the hair and pregnant Duchess Catherine and Prince William's baby, sleeping peacefully in the crown Queen Elizabeth wore as a princess.