Panel Discussion: Body Snatchers: Death in Culture

This Panel Discussion is in conjunction with the Museum’s exhibition “Body Snatchers: Death in Culture” opening to the public on January 17, 2019. The exhibition, curated by Emily Russell, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English at Rollins College and her students, will feature works by artists Lavinia Fontana, Romare Bearden, Francisco de Goya, Salvador Dalí, John Sloan, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Fred Tomaselli, Whitfield Lovell, and Helen Redman, Related works will also be on view at the Alfond Inn at Rollins.

Starting in the Renaissance, artists in their quest for naturalism studied and drew the human body, sometimes using cadavers despite clear interdiction from the Catholic church. Centuries later, the rise of surgical education in the 18th century created a demand for cadavers to be used in dissection and anatomical demonstrations. A new trade of “body snatchers,” or “resurrection men,” emerged to meet this demand. “Body Snatchers: Death in Culture” tells the story of shifting meanings attached to dead bodies, from religious reverence to medical authority.

The Cornell Fine Arts Museum, located on the Rollins College campus, has free admission and is open year-round with works also on view nearby at The Alfond Inn. No reservations or tickets are required for this event. Free parking available on campus and in the SunTrust Garage on Lyman Avenue with a Museum-validated parking stub. The museum is closed on Mondays, during major holidays and for installation of new exhibitions. The Museum is currently closed December 13, 2018 through January 16, 2019 for installation of upcoming exhibitions.