Kunstformen the exhibition.
More than a century ago, biologist Ernst Haeckel scored a hit with his amazing illustrations of unseen organisms. We collected all original lithographs and blew them up to 5 times life size for our exhibition.
Kunstformen der Natur
First published in sets of 10 between 1899 and 1904, Kunstformen der Natur is not only a book of illustrations, rather, it is the ‘summarization of artist, sociologist Ernst Haeckel’s view of the world’. It was also a highly influential book for 20th century art, architecture and design, bridging the gap between science and art. In particular, many artists associated with Art Nouveau were influenced by Haeckel's images, including René Binet, Karl Blossfeldt, Hans Christiansen, and Émile Gallé.
Visitors looking at Kunstformen der Natur curiously - 
Hacking Haeckel
Rudy Guedj, Martin Huger, Olya Troitskaya and Sophie Rogg met during their studies at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie where they collaborated on the visual identity for the school’s theory program in 2013. The intention of the program was to explore the field of ecology through theory and art, from history to our present-days. Ernst Haeckel's Kunstformen Der Natur was used within the visual identity not only as an inspiration, but also as a 'canvas' to interact with. A selection of the collages was presented as an installation in the context of the exhibition at Mediamatic. Read more.
Radboudumc
Radboudumc is a leading academic center for patient care, education and research, with the mission ‘to have a significant impact on healthcare’. It has an active art commission programme, aiming to bring art into the hospital environment.
Want to take the Naturformen home with you? Posters and T-shirts are for sale here.