In dialogue with: The Body as an Archive – Moulages between Empathy and Teaching

15.11.2025, 16:00

With Prof. Dr. Falk Ochsendorf in conversation with Prof. Franziska Nori

In the exhibition Anatomy of Fragility – Images of the Body in Art and Science, the Frankfurter Kunstverein, in cooperation with the University Hospital Frankfurt, presents rare historical objects: moulages from the collection of the Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology at Goethe University Frankfurt. These lifelike wax models of skin diseases and lesions have served medical teaching since the 19th century. They depict real body fragments – bearing all the traces of illness, injury, and individual suffering. Each moulage is thus a double testimony: a scientific teaching tool and the imprint of a unique human story.

With the advent of color photography, moulages gradually fell into oblivion. In Frankfurt, however, the collection has been revived on the initiative of Prof. Dr. Falk Ochsendorf and today once again plays an active role in medical education. In conversation with Prof. Franziska Nori, Director of the Frankfurter Kunstverein, Prof. Ochsendorf will offer insights into the fascinating history of the Frankfurt collection – from its heyday in the 19th century to its rediscovery in recent years. Together they will discuss why moulages are regaining relevance today, which diseases they document, and how they continue to foster empathy in medical training.

This thematic guided tour is part of the exhibition’s public program. In front of the artworks themselves, we invite you to join the experts and cooperation partners for an open exchange about what the fragility of the body can mean to us all.

The tour costs €5 plus admission. No registration required. The event will take place in German.

We look forward to welcoming you!