Gunther von Hagens, creator of Body Worlds and plastination, dies aged 81

Gunther von Hagens, the inventor of a method for permanently preserving human bodies, has died at the age of 81. He was famous for his Body Worlds exhibitions, which showcased real human bodies preserved using his technique, known as plastination. His death brings him closer to fulfilling his own wish to have his body plastinated and displayed after he died.

The Institute for Plastination, where von Hagens worked, announced his death on Monday. Von Hagens, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2008, died on 24 July in Heidelberg, Germany, after suffering a brain haemorrhage. He had often expressed a desire for his own body to be preserved after death, though he was unsure how he wanted it to be presented.

In 2018, he wrote that he imagined his plastinated body standing at the entrance of an exhibition or being sliced into sections and shown at different locations. A spokesperson for the Plastinarium, a museum he founded, confirmed on Monday that his body would indeed be plastinated as per his long-standing wish. However, a final decision on where it would be displayed has not yet been made.

Born in Poland in 1945, von Hagens grew up in East Germany and was imprisoned for attempting to flee to the West. He was released to West Germany in 1970 and later adopted his first wife's surname. He developed his groundbreaking plastination technique in 1977 while working at the University of Heidelberg.

The plastination process involves removing all body fluids and fats and replacing them with liquid plastics, such as silicone rubber and epoxy. This method gives the tissues a lasting rigidity, allowing the preserved bodies to be posed in lifelike positions. The technique was a significant advancement in preserving anatomical specimens.

Starting in 1995, von Hagens began presenting his plastinated bodies in travelling exhibitions called Body Worlds. These shows featured bodies sliced to show internal organs or posed in everyday activities. The exhibitions became a worldwide sensation, attracting over 50 million visitors and aiming to make anatomy more accessible and to challenge cultural taboos surrounding death and the human body.

Despite the educational aims, the exhibitions faced criticism. Some found the displays, particularly those involving foetuses, to be sensationalist. Von Hagens maintained that all bodies used had given consent for their use after death for educational purposes, although the use of infant and animal bodies raised ethical concerns for many.

Further controversy arose in 2004 when documents suggested that his plastination facility in China had acquired bodies from sources linked to police, with some allegedly being executed individuals. Following these reports, he reportedly instructed his staff to stop accepting bodies from such sources.

Von Hagens cultivated a distinctive public image, often seen in a fedora and leather vest, which some critics felt contributed to speculation about his intentions. After his Parkinson's diagnosis affected his mobility and speech, he transferred management responsibilities to his wife, Angelina Whalley, and his son, Rurik.