Exhibition: "Spectacular Bodies: The Art and Science of the Human Body From Leonardo to Now" (Hayward Gallery on the South Bank, London, UK, 19 October 2000 - 14 January 2001)
The following is a press selease from the Hayward Gallery on the South Bank, London, UK, dated 18 November 2000. The _New York Times_ for 27 November 2000 has a review of the exhibit, "The Human Body in Its Aesthetic Glory and Scientific Gore", by Alan Riding; see <http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/27/arts/27ARTS.html> (online articles are available for free for 2 weeks, I think, so read this soon). Russell Johnson * * * * * * * * * * Spectacular Bodies: The Art and Science of the Human Body From Leonardo to Now Hayward Gallery 19 October 2000 - 14 January 2001 The human body is an astounding feat of engineering. For centuries, man has striven to understand its complexities, both artistically and anatomically, often resorting to human dissection. Illustrating the point at which medicine and art collide, this exhibition brings together treasures from some 80 museums and collections worldwide. In one of its most ambitious projects ever, the Hayward Gallery presents works of art ranging from paintings and drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Dürer and Stubbs, to contemporary work by eight artists, including Bill Viola and Christine Borland, alongside models and instruments from the medical world. Curated by Martin Kemp (who was also responsible for the Hayward's acclaimed Leonardo show in 1989) and Marina Wallace, the exhibition opens at the Hayward Gallery in October. Human dissections were often public events in the 17th and 18th centuries. Celebrated Dutch surgeons of the time are the subject of seven dramatic group portraits, including Rembrandt's Anatomy of Dr Deijman, 1656, which are shown in the exhibition with historic medical instruments. Prints and engravings give an impression of 17th century public anatomy theatres, whilst John Isaacs' new video work merges footage of Padua's anatomy theatre with imagery from modern hospitals. Twenty écorchés –sculptures of flayed bodies revealing muscle structures – are shown alongside 18th century anatomical wax models in which every artery and vein has been painstakingly recreated. Spectacular, at times shocking images from ancient medical books and cross-sections of the womb reveal the richness of the visual history of obstetrics. The cycle of life is further explored in luridly coloured 18th century ceramics of pregnant women peeling their abdominal skin and Marc Quinn’s Eternal Spring, 1998, in which red flowers are preserved in frozen silicone. For centuries artists and scientists have grappled with the idea that mood and character can be read in facial expressions. This fascination with outward manifestations of emotions is reflected in Franz Xavier Messerschmidt's grimacing heads in alabaster and lead (1775), Dürer's depiction of melancholy (1514), Courbet’s painting of a man in deep despair (1844-45) and Tony Oursler's Crying Doll, 1995. Gerhard Lang presents a contemporary response to historic studies of animalistic types in the show, which include examples by LeBrun, Leonardo and Grandeville. Nineteenth-century popular interest in categorising character types by physical appearance resulted in the Edinburgh Phrenological Society collecting head casts of criminals and great men. Eight examples are shown here, including those of Burke and Hare, the infamous grave robbers. Head-measuring devices are also exhibited; these were used by Francis Galton in an attempt to link head size and intelligence as part of his quest to establish a science of human nature. Galton's photographic portraits of inmates at Millbank Prison and Bethlam Asylum are shown with The Kidnapper, 1821-24, one of Géricault's 'portraits of the insane', originally commissioned by Dr Georget, a medical officer at a private asylum. The practice of another 19th century physician, Dr Charcot, is given a contemporary reading by American artist Beth b whose new installation combines films of 'hysterical' women, wax models and 19th century restraining devices. Spectacular Bodies promises to be a revelatory show, providing an enlightening new context for an extraordinary collection of material, much of which has never before been seen in an art gallery. A fully-illustrated catalogue written by Martin Kemp and Marina Wallace, with 224 pages and 160 illustrations, will be on sale. The exhibition is accompanied by a lively education programme, and in November is complemented by a series of talks in the Voice Box, Royal Festival Hall. More than 300 works have been loaned from 15 countries, including: the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Australia; the Kunsthistoriches Museum, the Österreichische Galerie, Belvedere and the Vienna Historisches Museum der Stadt in Austria; the Ashmolean, British Museum, Chatsworth, Fitzwilliam, Gordon's Museum, Pitt Rivers, Royal Academy, Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Surgeons, Royal Library at Windsor, Science Museum, Tate Gallery and Wellcome Trust in England; Ecole Nationale Superièure des Beaux-Arts, Musée d'Histoire de la Médicine, Musée des Collections Historiques de la Prefecture de la Police and the Musée du Louvre in France; the Amsterdam Historisch Museum, the Museum Boerhaave, Utrecht University Library and Leiden Anatomical Museum in the Netherlands; the Szepmuveszeti Museum in Hungary; the National Gallery of Ireland; the Accademia di San Luca, the Uffizi and the Sienna Accademia di Fisiocritici in Italy; the Nasjonalgalleriet Oslo in Norway; the Jagiellonian University Museum in Poland; Glasgow University Library, the Hunterian, the Royal College of Surgeons and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Scotland; and the Duke University, Springfield Museum of Fine Arts, Wadsworth Atheneum and Yale Center for British Art in America. Hayward Gallery on the South Bank, London SE1 Public enquiries: 020 7960 5226 Recorded information: 020 7261 0127 Advance bookings: 020 7960 4242 Opening hours: 10am-6pm daily, until 8pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays Admission: £8 (£6 concessions). Free to Hayward members Hayward Gallery online: www.hayward-gallery.org.uk Further press information and images from Alison Wright on 020 7921 0888, email: awright@hayward.org.uk or Ann Berni on 020 7921 0887, email: aberni@hayward.org.uk, or fax 020 7921 0663.