Flesh and Bones

At the intersection of science and art, this book explores themes of anatomy from the Renaissance to modern times. In Europe, illustrations that captured the structure of the body, spectacularly realized in early atlases like Andreas Vesalius's De humani corporis fabrica libri septem of 1543, found an audience with both medical practitioners and artists. Anatomy was a basic component of artistic training for centuries, as artists such as Michelangelo, famed for his anatomical knowledge, sought to master the representation of the human form.; Flesh and Bones examines the many inventive ways anatomy has been presented over the centuries, including an animated corpse displaying its own body for study, anatomized antique sculpture, spectacular life-size prints, delicate paper flaps, and 3-D stereoscopic photographs. Drawn primarily from the vast holdings of the Getty Research Institute, the nearly 150 striking images, which range in media from woodcut to neon, reveal the uncanny beauty of the human body under the skin. This volume is published to accompany an exhibition at the Getty Research Institute at the Getty Center from February 22-July 10, 2022.