Critics have condemned von Hagens for venturing into sensationalism with exhibits including a corpse mounted on a plastinated horse and the preserved body of a pregnant woman carrying an eight-month-old fetus.
Gunther von Hagens, the German anatomist renowned for his “Body Worlds” exhibitions featuring preserved human specimens, has passed away at the age of 81.
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His relatives and the Institute for Plastination, which he founded, announced his death on Friday. No additional information was provided in the statement released on Monday. Von Hagens revealed in 2010 his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.
Von Hagens blurred the distinctions between science, entertainment, and commerce through his touring exhibitions and attention-grabbing events such as public autopsies.
Central to his work was plastination, a technique that replaces bodily fluids with liquid plastic which solidifies over time. Developed by von Hagens in the 1970s, this method halts decomposition, preserves tissues, and enables the display of human bodies and organs.
The “Body Worlds” exhibition first opened in Japan in 1995.
In 1997, the collection of partly skinless specimens was exhibited in von Hagens’ native Germany, despite efforts by local church authorities to prevent the display on the basis that it was disrespectful. Von Hagens defended the exhibitions by stating they help the public gain a deeper understanding of human anatomy.
The anatomist described his daily work as challenging the taboos and beliefs people hold regarding death and the deceased.
“I confront a taboo here, which is our own body, and nothing is closer or more personal than our body,” he explained.
The exhibits displayed bodies of individuals who consented to donate themselves for plastination.
Following their debut, the “Body Worlds” exhibitions were showcased in multiple U.S. cities, beginning with Los Angeles in 2004.
Born as Gunther Liebchen on January 10, 1945, in present-day western Poland, von Hagens left a profound impact on anatomical science.
The statement issued Monday confirmed it was von Hagens’ wish for his body to undergo plastination, a request his family intends to honor and fulfill.