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The Art of Evolution: Darwin, Darwinisms and Visual Culture

Inspired by the Charles Darwin bicentennial, this collection of essays co-edited with Barbara Lawson, scrutinizes the interrelationship between Darwin, Darwinisms and modern visual cultures. The research demonstrates for the first time how Modernists were intensely engaged in different aspects of Darwinism, as illustrated by its exploration of amongst other artists Böcklin, Kokoschka, Kupka, El Lissitzsky, Malevich, Munch, Picabia, ‘Le douanier’ Rousseau, and the Surrealists, Ernst and Masson. Through its examination of contemporary art by Marcus Coates, George Gessert, Marc Quinn and Alexis Rockman, it also reveals the ongoing significance of Darwin to artists today.

Brauer wrote two chapters entitled ‘Framing Darwin: A Portrait of Eugenics’, pp. 124-154; ‘Wild Beasts and Tame Primates: Le ‘douannier’ Rousseau’s Dream of Darwin’s Evolution’, pp. 194-225.

Launched at the Courtauld Institute of Art international conference (University of London, 1-4 June 2009) The Art of Evolution: Charles Darwin and Visual Cultures (http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/researchforum/documents/Darwinposter-prog_6_formatted.pdf) . the book was a seminal part of the Darwin 200 celebrations organized at Cambridge University that attracted 10,000 scholars. http://www.artandeducation.net/announcement/charles-darwin-and-the-art-of-evolution-conference/ Designed to precede and complement the Cambridge conference, Brauer was invited by Cambridge University to lecture on the topic.

In 2010, the book led to another international conference, Charles Darwin and the Art of Evolution, at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Australia. It has received extensive reviews including the Art Bulletin (www.collegeart.org/artbulletin/4_2010), Project Muse (http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/nineteenth_century_french_studies/summary/v039/39.3.gordon.html), Rhizome (http://rhizomes.net/issue22/reviews/stephens.html), Art History, The Art Book, The History of Science Society, Reports of the National Centre for Science Education, (http://reports.ncse.com/index.php/rncse/article/view/29/20), and the Journal of Visual Cultures and Isis. It was nominated by Aramont Professor in the History of Science at Harvard University, Janet Browne, for the Royal Society prize of ‘best book of the year in art, literature and science in Britain’. High demand led it to be re-printed in both soft and hardback.