Kim Kardashian has defended her controversial butt-baring pictures by describing the nude photoshoot as "art".

The reality TV star hit headlines last week when pictures from the Paper magazine shoot emerged online.

Kardashian was shown pulling down her dress to reveal her famous bottom, while she also posed for a full-frontal nude picture and recreated photographer Jean-Paul Goude's famous snap of a model balancing a Champagne glass on her behind.

The shoot, which was titled Break The Internet, drew a barrage of criticism, but Kardashian is adamant the project was not based around gratuitous nudity.

She tells Australian TV show The Project, "I was so honoured and excited to work with (Goude) because he is a legend, and for me that was something I wanted to do to make myself feel confident. As a role model I'm not saying anyone else should do that, but for me it was an art project and it taught me to do what you want to do... I'm never one to preach, but I felt really positive and really good about myself. I love the photos, I did it for me, I hope other people like them."

During her appearance on the Australian TV show on Tuesday, Kardashian attempted to show host Rove MCManus how to recreate the Champagne glass pose but failed, telling him, "You don't have as big a butt as I do."

She added of painful pose, "My back hurt for about a week after that shoot... I used muscles... (Goude) has an art of posing you and it was definitely not comfortable. Things were falling all over the place."