Gunter von Hagen, Creator of "Body Worlds," Dies at 81

Development of Plastination, a Body Preservation Method
Sensational Human Body Exhibitions Spark Both Success and Controversy

German anatomist Gunter von Hagen, who sparked worldwide controversy through exhibitions of plastinated bodies, has died at the age of 81.

According to reports from German media outlets such as dpa on the 27th (local time), von Hagen passed away on July 24. He reportedly collapsed the previous day due to a cerebral hemorrhage and was transported to a hospital in Heidelberg, where he died while receiving treatment. Von Hagen had been battling Parkinson's disease since being diagnosed in 2008.

He was born in 1945 in Poland, which was under Nazi German occupation, under the name Gunther Gerhard Liebchen. After enrolling in Heidelberg University to study medicine, he developed the corpse preservation technique known as "plastination" in 1977.

Günther von Hagens. Yonhap News Agency

Plastination is a preservation technique that removes moisture and fat from a body and then replaces them with a hardening plastic such as silicone or epoxy to prevent decomposition. In 1992, von Hagen succeeded in applying his plastination method to entire human bodies. In 1995, he made human body specimens public through an exhibition called "Body Worlds," which was a commercial success. The exhibition visited 42 countries and attracted over 50 million visitors worldwide. In South Korea, it was shown in 2002 under the title "Mystery of the Human Body," attracting about 1.7 million people.

However, his exhibitions were criticized for using human bodies as display objects and allegedly violating human dignity. In particular, suspicions arose in the early 2000s that some of his exhibits were made from executed Chinese prisoners, and some countries banned his exhibition activities as a result. Von Hagen countered that he only used the bodies of deceased individuals who had given consent for donation for research and educational purposes during their lifetimes. As of January last year, the Plastination Institute he founded reported having received pledges for the donation of 22,630 bodies.

In 2002, he caused further controversy when he performed a public autopsy on a male body at a gallery in London in front of 500 onlookers. The autopsy was broadcast on television, and citizens—shocked by the broadcast—filed around 30 complaints with the police.

Regarding the controversies surrounding his work, von Hagen stated, "My work moves people and provokes public debate—this is proof of its impact," emphasizing, "This was my goal from the beginning."

The Plastinarium museum, founded by von Hagen in Guben, Germany in 2006, announced on this day that, honoring his wishes, his body will undergo plastination. The specific location for its exhibition has not yet been decided.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.