Body Worlds Exhibit: Gunther Von Hagens Turns Dead into Art

The infamous German anatomist Gunther von Hagens is the man who has earned himself a rather weird reputation of 'Mr. Death' by turning corpses alive. He is the developer and promoter of the Body Worlds exhibit. Body Worlds features dead people engaged in a variety of everyday activities from playing chess to dancing. The skin and several layers of body tissues are peeled in order to give the audience a closer look at the secrets of human life and death.


Body Worlds Exhibit gained a huge global gaze through the 2006, James Bond movie 'Casino Royale'. 
First started in 1995, the Body World has received more than 32 million visitors making it the most popular travelling exhibit in the world. Most of the people who have ever witnessed a Body World exhibit end up asking questions about where the heck they get so many human bodies? If you're troubling with the same question then let me tell you that all the bodies at the Body Worlds come from body donors who authorise their bodies to Body World with their own consent.

The bodies at Body Worlds are prepared and preserved by a special process called plastination which was also invented by Gunther von Hagens. Plastination involves the replacement of muscle water and fat by certain plastics yielding specimens which are odourless, decay-proof and rigid allowing them to be posed in lifelike positions. While people around the world are fascinated by Gunther's unusual art, he's not famous among all of them. The Body Worlds is banned in many parts of the world including Paris and Poland. Gunther von Hagens has faced serious criticism especially from religious groups who object the display of human remains. For many religious groups, the practice is like disrespecting a human corpse.

While religious groups object Gunther's display of human forms, some organisations express their concerns over the source of the bodies. But Gunther has put down all such claims, stating that the bodies come entirely from donors. Gunther von Hagens states that the objective of the Body Worlds is to educate common man about the body leading to better health awareness. But whatever the aim be, Gunther's 'Skinless Wonders' continues to fascinate thousands of eyeballs around the world by bridging the taboos of life and death, making it one of the most strange exhibitions in the world.

Further Reading:

A complete catalog of the Body Worlds. Includes articles by Dr. Gunther von Hagens, Dr. Angelina Whalley, Charleen M. Moor & C. Mackenzie Brown, Dr. Franz Josef Wetz, and Bazon Brock. This is a comprehensive book written by people from Body Worlds itself.

Buy it now on Amazon: Body Worlds - The original exhibition of real human bodies