Anatomy of fragility – Body images in art and science

The way in which we look at and into bodies, perceive and represent them is constantly changing. Art and science have always worked together to understand the body through visual thinking, each producing new images and interpretations in different eras: from the idealised conception of the body in archaic Greek art, to the religious depictions of votive offerings, to scientific anatomical figures from the 17th century onwards. Juxtaposed with these are contemporary works of art that express a contemporary sense of corporeality through new forms.

The exhibition, curated by the Frankfurter Kunstverein, is being organised in collaboration with Goethe University Frankfurt – represented by the moulage collection of the Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, and the Collection of Classical Antiquities at the Institute of Archaeological Sciences – the University of Bologna, as well as anatomical votives from the Ludwig Stieda Collection, held by the Collection of Antiquities at the Chair of Classical Archaeology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, and the private collection of Hans and Benedikt Hipp.  ‘Anatomy of Fragility’ invites you on a journey through objects from human history and contemporary works of art.