HAYWARD GALLERY NEWS RELEASE

SPECTACULAR BODIES 
The Art and Science of the Human Body From Leonardo to Now
Hayward Gallery London         
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 0171 921 0888
email [log in to unmask] or Ann Berni on 020 7921  0887 email
[log in to unmask], or fax 020 7921 0663