Gunther von Hagens, the German anatomist who invented plastination and created the worldwide Body Worlds exhibitions of preserved human bodies, has died at age 81.
His family and the Institute for Plastination announced that von Hagens died July 24 in Heidelberg, Germany, a day after suffering a cerebral haemorrhage. He had lived with Parkinson’s disease for nearly two decades.
Von Hagens developed the plastination technique in 1977 while working at the University of Heidelberg. The process replaces bodily fluids and fats with plastics, allowing bodies to be preserved in rigid, lifelike poses for educational display.
His Body Worlds exhibitions, which debuted in the mid-1990s, have been viewed by more than 58 million people around the world. The displays featured whole bodies and organs posed in everyday or athletic activities, aiming to educate the public about anatomy, health and mortality.
The exhibitions drew both large audiences and criticism. Some religious groups and ethicists objected to the public display of human remains, while von Hagens maintained that all bodies came from donors who consented during their lifetimes.
It was von Hagens’ long-standing wish that his own body be plastinated after death. His family said they will carry out that request, though no decision has been announced on where or how the specimen will be displayed.
Born Gunther Liebchen in 1945 in what is now Poland, he grew up in East Germany, studied medicine and later fled to the West. He adopted the surname of his first wife and built a career that blended science, education and public spectacle.
His second wife, Angelina Whalley, has long curated the Body Worlds shows and leads the Institute for Plastination. The institute said the plastination technique, the Plastinarium museum and the exhibitions will continue as his legacy.
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