Mort et vif de la curiosité à l'œuvre: Taxidermie entre art et science

A review of Alexis Turner's book 'Mort et vif de la curiosité à l'œuvre' explores the history and contemporary revival of taxidermy. The text traces taxidermy from its earliest known specimen, a crocodile from 1530 in Ponte Nossa, Italy, through its peak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, its decline after WWI, and its resurgence since the 2000s. Key historical figures include Jean-Baptiste Bécœur, who invented arsenical soap in 1743, and Martha Maxwell, the first female taxidermist, who presented realistic habitat dioramas at the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition. The book also covers contemporary artists like Xiao Yu, whose 'bébé-mouette' (a female fetus head on a seagull body) was controversially displayed at the Museum of Fine Arts Bern in 2005 before joining the M+ collection in Hong Kong. Other artists mentioned include Maurizio Cattelan, Damien Hirst, Jordan Baseman, and Thomas Grünfeld, known for his hybrid 'Misfits'. The text notes the use of taxidermy in luxury fashion and by animal rights activist Angela Singer. Alexis Turner, founder of London Taxidermy, compiled the volume with illustrations ranging from sublime to kitsch.