Object Lessons

Assembling nearly 200 pieces from the collection of George Loudon, this volume encompasses a vast assortment of objects relating to nineteenth-century life sciences. Originally designed to capture the complex structures of nature, they range from books and illustrations to botanical specimens and anatomical models. Having lost most of their original pedagogical function over time, the objects are now open for contemporary reappraisal - acquiring new values that can inspire, seduce and even disorientate today's viewer. Offering a unique perspective on the intersection of art and science, the historic curiosities in this collection reveal their creators' remarkable capacity for artistic expression.

Alongside new images by celebrated photographer Rosamond Purcell, explanatory texts on the objects by Loudon, an essay by Robert McCracken Peck, and a conversation between Loudon and art historian Lynne Cooke together offer insight into the objects' original context and potential for new perspectives.

264 colour illustrations

About the Authors

George Loudon is a UK-based collector of art and objects, a selection of which were exhibited at the Whitechapel Gallery in 2018-19. Born in the Netherlands, he formerly worked in the financial sector.

Lynne Cooke is Senior Curator of Special Projects in Modern Art at the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. An art scholar who has curated, lectured and written widely, Cooke has held senior positions at the Museo Reina Sofia and Dia Art Foundation and co-curated the 1986 Venice Biennale.

Robert McCracken Peck is Curator of Art and Artefacts and Senior Fellow of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in the USA. He is a frequent collaborator on projects involving natural, cultural and art history. Rosamond Purcell is a Boston-based photographer best known for her images capturing the natural world.