Gunther von Hagens, the German scientist and inventor of "plastination," became known for turning preserved human corpses into globally popular exhibitions under the Body Worlds banner, effectively overshadowing the shock art of figures such as Damien Hirst who worked with preserved animals rather than real human remains. Von Hagens's willingness to display actual dissected bodies, purportedly for educational purposes, drew crowds in the millions and reframed the boundaries of what could be presented as art, but critics argue he sidestepped the deeper moral and philosophical questions that genuine art about mortality should raise.

The article situates Von Hagens within a long history of art-science crossover, comparing him to Renaissance figures like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, who conducted their own anatomical dissections, and more directly to Andreas Vesalius, whose 1543 anatomy text Fabrica combined sculptural poses with visceral imagery. Von Hagens, a professor with ties to Heidelberg University, staged a live televised autopsy in London in 2002, evoking William Hogarth's satirical depiction of public dissection. The writer contrasts Hogarth's implicit moral commentary with Von Hagens's approach, which is described as treating human flesh as mere material rather than prompting reflection on death, leading the author to call Body Worlds "repellent."