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Gunther von Hagens, creator of Body Worlds and plastination, dies aged 81
Gunther von Hagens, the German anatomist who invented plastination and created the Body Worlds exhibitions, has died aged 81. He died in a hospital in Heidelberg on 24 July, a day after suffering a cerebral haemorrhage, having lived with Parkinson's disease since his diagnosis in 2008. His death brings him closer to fulfilling a long-held wish to have his own body plastinated and put on public display, a plan his institute has confirmed will go ahead, though the exact form and location have yet to be decided.
Von Hagens developed his preservation technique in 1977 while working at the University of Heidelberg, replacing bodily fluids and fat with resins and polymers to leave tissue rigid and lifelike. From 1995 his plastinated bodies toured the world in the Body Worlds exhibitions, curated with his second wife, Angelina Whalley, drawing more than 50 million visitors and displaying figures in poses ranging from chess-playing to sporting activity. The shows, which he said were meant to "democratise anatomy," proved controversial, with critics accusing him of using exhibits such as foetal specimens to titillate audiences. Born Gunther Gerhard Liebchen in 1945 in then German-occupied Poland, he grew up in East Germany, was imprisoned in 1969 for attempting to flee west, and was released the following year after West Germany paid for his freedom.
In short
- Body Worlds creator Gunther von Hagens has died aged 81
- He died in Heidelberg after a cerebral haemorrhage, having had Parkinson's since 2008
- His body will be plastinated per his long-held wishes, per his institute
Explained simply
Gunther von Hagens was a German anatomist who invented plastination, a preservation technique that replaced human bodily fluids with resins and polymers, keeping tissue lifelike and rigid indefinitely. He developed the method in 1977 and used it to create one of the world's most visited exhibition concepts.
From 1995, von Hagens's Body Worlds exhibitions toured globally, displaying plastinated human bodies in various positions and arrangements, ranging from anatomical demonstrations to artistic presentations. The shows attracted more than 50 million visitors worldwide over several decades.
The exhibitions proved controversial, with critics arguing that some displays disrespected the deceased or were designed to shock audiences rather than solely to educate. Von Hagens was born in Poland in 1945 and grew up in communist East Germany, where he was imprisoned in 1969 for attempting to escape; West Germany paid for his release the following year.
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