Illustrated book of Nature. New perspectives on the History of Natural History Museums

Symposium IN ENGLISH
August 29th, 6 - 8.30 p.m.

Since their foundation in the 19^th century, Natural History Museums challenged and shaped the way people think about the natural world. Being scientific research institutes and public educational institutions at the same time, they had to find ways of conveying their topics to diverse audiences. Although creations of the industrial revolution, the Natural History Museums stand in an intellectual tradition reaching back to medieval times: complex presentations of animals can be traced back to illuminated manuscripts like the bestiaries.  The talks of this symposium will try to fathom out the different (historic and modern) approaches of displaying natural knowledge.


Detailed Program:

6:00 pm: Welcome & Introduction | Univ. Prof. Dr. Christian Köberl, CEO & Director General of the Natural History Museum Vienna

6:05 pm:  Books of Beasts: The Medieval Manuscript Heritage of the Natural History Museum |Janine Rogers (Professor of Medieval and Sixteenth-Century Literature, and the Reverend William Purvis Chair of English Literature in the Department of English Literatures at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada)

6:25 pm: Pre-Raphaelite art & Victorian science: The Oxford University Museum of Natural History | John Holmes (Professor of Victorian Literature and Culture at the University of Birmingham, UK)

6:45 pm:  Art / Nature. Artistic Interventions at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin| Anita Hermannstädter M.A. (head of PAN –Perspectives on Nature, the Department for Humanities and Arts at the Museum für Naturkunde) Berlin

Following the talks: Guided tour through the history of the NHM Vienna with a visit to the roof of the museum| Stefanie Jovanovic-Kruspel (NHM Vienna)

Valid entrance ticket required. The event will be held in English.