Skeletons in Art: From Brueghel to Bourgeois, 30 Artists Confront Mortality in 2007 Exhibition

Between September 20 and November 3, 2007, the exhibition titled "I Am as You Will Be: The Skeleton in Art" took place at 547 West 25th Street in New York City, featuring over 30 artists who examined themes of mortality through skeletal representations. Curated partly by Xavier Tricot, a scholar of James Ensor, the showcase included works spanning centuries, starting with Pieter Brueghel the Elder's 1562 piece "Triumph of Death." Artists such as Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso, and contemporary figures like Louise Bourgeois and Damien Hirst contributed diverse interpretations of death. Noteworthy pieces included Bourgeois's 1997 fabric torso and Hirst's "Male and Female Pharmacy Skeletons." The exhibition also highlighted works from Donald Baechler, Alice Neel, and others, utilizing various media to explore human transience.