DARWIN. ART AND THE SEARCH FOR ORIGINS
To celebrate the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin in 2009 and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his pivotal work, “On the Origin of Species”, the SCHIRN is pleased to present the exhibition, “Darwin – Art and the Search for Origins”. Darwin’s revolutionary book and the subsequent heated debates about origins not only transgressed the boundaries of biological science but also captivated the attention of a broad public.
The exhibition is the first to focus on the implications of Darwinism for the fine arts. All of the artists featured in the exhibition shared an interest in the natural sciences and either read texts by Darwin or by those who reacted to him. With approximately 150 paintings, drawings, and lithographs as well as rare documentary material, the exhibition showcases artists such as Martin Johnson Heade, František Kupka, Odilon Redon, George Frederic Watts, Arnold Böcklin, Gabriel von Max, Alfred Kubin, and Max Ernst, and thus spans the period from 1859 to the mid twentieth century.
CATALOG
Charles Darwin's epoch-making work On the Origin of Species revolutionized the science of biology, led to heated debates among scientists all over the world, and to confusion among the public at large. This publication focuses on the influence of Darwinism in the visual arts. Using 150 paintings, drawings and lithographs, as well as rare documentary material as illustration, the book bridges a chronological spectrum from 1859 to the mid-twentieth century