Oxford University Museum of Natural History will soon be celebrating its 160th anniversary with a new display on the museum’s history and mission. The exhibition, called ‘Truth to Nature’, is due to open on 18th October and is already available online. Co-curated with John Holmes from the University of Birmingham, it showcases the role of the arts alongside science in the museum’s foundation in the nineteenth century and in addressing crucial scientific and environmental issues today.
Oxford University Museum of Natural History is a unique fusion of architecture, science and art. Built in the 1850s, it uses sculpture, painting and design to embody scientific principles and discoveries. To accompany the exhibition, the museum is releasing a new five-part video podcast series written and presented by John Holmes and drawing on his forthcoming book The Temple of Science: The Pre-Raphaelites and Oxford University Museum of Natural History. In the podcasts, Holmes takes us on a guided tour of the art and architecture of the museum, revealing how leading scientists collaborated with artists of genius to create one of the great masterpieces of the Gothic Revival and Pre-Raphaelite art.