The Art of Anatomy: A Symposium to Celebrate the Release of the Book “Anatomica: The Exquisite and Unsettling Art of Human Anatomy”

For centuries, humankind has sought to know itself through an understanding of the body, in sickness and in health, inside and out. This fascination left in its wake a rich body of artworks that demonstrate not only the facts of the human body, but also the ways in which our ideas about the body and its proper representation have changed over time. At times both beautiful and repulsive, illustrated anatomy continues to hold our interest today, and is frequently referenced in popular culture. The new book Anatomica, by Morbid Anatomy founder Joanna Ebenstein with medical editor Marie Dauenheimer, brings together nearly 300 of the most striking, fascinating and bizarre anatomical artworks from the 16th through to the 20th century, exploring human anatomy in one beautiful volume.

This daylong symposium will explore, in six fascinating illustrated lectures, the vivid images and changing meanings of anatomical art over the centuries. Topics will include “Murders in the Anatomy Museum,” ”Albinus and the Creation of Homo Perfectus, human dissection “considered as art and abyss,” and esoteric anatomy and the poetic body. Speakers will include Michael Sappol, medical historian formerly of The National Library of Medicine and curator of Dream Anatomy; Ross MacFarlane, Research Development Specialist at Wellcome Collection; Anatomical Artist Eleanor Crook; philosophy professor and author of On Monsters Stephen Asma, author Joanna Ebenstein and medical editor Marie Dauenheimer. The day will be overseen by MC and moderator Evan Michelson of Obscura Antiques and TV’s Oddities.

$20

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