ABOUT THIS COLLECTION

Before photography, scientific illustrators gave us a visual record of the world’s fascinating forms of flora and fauna. Ernst Haeckel’s (1834-1919) illustrations set the standard for scientific art in the 19th and early 20th centuries. An evolutionary scientist, his most famous publication is the series “Kunstformen Der Natur” (Artforms in Nature) published in 10 installments between 1899 and 1904. This collection offers 10 of the 100 highly detailed drawings of organisms he created for that publication, all of which he had either seen through a microscope or in his research (he discovered, described, and named thousands of new species). The series had an enormous influence on modern perceptions of nature by the arts and sciences.

COLLECTION DETAILS

Series title: Art Forms of Nature
Series size: 10 artworks
Edition: Limited edition of 1000
Proof of Ownership: Certification on the Ethereum blockchain under the ERC1155 protocol. Each artwork is delivered privately and directly to collectors as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that guarantee proof of ownership.
Format: Pieces consist of PNG files sized 2160x3840 pixels - 150 dpi.
Medium: Illustration
Artwork Material: Illustration paper
Contract Address: 0x495f947276749ce646f68ac8c248420045cb7b5e
ID: 2749212597480566...

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Haeckel received a degree in medicine in 1857, but only practiced a short time before traveling to Italy with the idea of becoming an artist. Much influenced by Charles Darwin’s 1859 work “On the Origin of Species,” he then earned a doctorate in zoology in 1862. He combined his fascination with nature and evolutionary biology with virtuoso artistic talent. The more than 1,000 illustrations he produced over his career reveal the geometric structures in nature that appear beautifully architectural or abstract in design. Many artists and architects of the era referred to it, especially in Art Nouveau (1890-1910). Antoni Gaudì, the Catalan modernist architect, used Haeckel’s marine organisms for architectural details such as balustrades and arches. “Nature generates an inexhaustible cornucopia of wonderful forms, the beauty, and variety of which far exceed the crafted art forms produced by human beings,” wrote Haeckel.

COLLECTION CREDITS

Historical curatorship: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
Artwork: Ernst Haeckel
Year of original publication: 1904
Post-production: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
Digital art supervisor: Marie-Lou Desmeules
Editorial: Braden Phillips
Historical research: Evangelos Rosios, Braden Phillips
Executive production: Victor Zabrockis

RIGHTS OVERVIEW

Source of artwork: Library of Congress
Underlying work rights: CC0
Digital copyrights: CC0

You might also like

Can you support us? Let us know.