Between the French Revolution and the First World War, artists and anatomists transformed the dead into some of the most beautiful and influential images ever created. Anatomical atlases combined scientific precision with extraordinary artistry, revealing the hidden architecture of the human body while fundamentally changing the way we understood life, disease and death. The result was a remarkable body of work that is at once unsettling, elegant and profoundly human.

In this richly illustrated talk, Richard Barnett explores the golden age of medical illustration, uncovering the fascinating relationship between art and anatomy, beauty and mortality. Through exquisite anatomical drawings and the remarkable stories behind their creation, discover how generations of artists found inspiration in the dissecting room, creating images that continue to shape medicine, art and our understanding of the human body.