More about: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

The sexy picture of Nick Cave's model wife that adorns the cover of the rocker's latest album was in fact taken by accident.

The latest album from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds is accompanied by a cover featuring Cave and his wife Susie Bick, who's naked.

The cover picture is an arty shot in stark monochrome with Cave's naked wife on tip-toes, face obscured by her hair, while Cave holds a window open letting light in.

But apparently the picture was not set up, as Bick was snapped during a costume change during a photoshoot in the couple's home during a shoot for a French magazine.

Speaking to The Sun, Cave said: "That picture was not set up. It was taken in our bedroom by Dominique Issermann, the unbelievably brilliant French photographer, who was doing an editorial shoot of my wife for a French magazine.

"She was in between costumes, naked under a cape, when I walked in. She just said, 'Look, go over and open that window up'. As I went over to do it, she dropped the cape and Dominque took a few photographs.

"Later on, we saw this one and thought, 'Wow! What a strange, beautiful, ambiguous photograph."

The arty cover photo was apparently a complete accident

Nick Cave & The Bad Seed's 15th studio album, Push The Sky Away, is released on February 18.

The band will then embark on a huge tour of Australia and North America.

The band have already released two tracks from the album, 'We No Who U R' and 'Jubilee Street'.

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More about: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds