I want the name of the artist that made "sculptures" out of human and
animal bodies.  I think I saw it on Ripley's believe it or not.  He
has a gallery somewhere in Europe.  I think he was around, maybe 100
years ago?  Maybe more.  The movie "The House on Haunted Hill" had
some "sculptures" that looked like his in the basement of the house,
at the bottom of the stairs.  I think one of his most famous pieces is
a horse and rider.

Hello allison12345,

The artist who used human and animal bodies for sculptures was Honoré
Fragonard.  He was indeed featured on a Ripley's Believe It or Not;
has a gallery in Europe; and is known for a sculpture of a horse and
rider.

"Episode #109 (Wednesday, March 8, 2000 continued)" [under "Corpse Artist"]
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/ripleys/database/ep_109b.html

"Dead Bodies - Fact or Fiction?" [under "Honore Fragonard"]
Kidzworld
http://www.kidzworld.com/site/p1855.htm

Musée Fragonard
http://www.vet-alfort.fr/fr/musee/musee.htm [unfortunately only the
French pages are working]

- justaskscott


Search terms used on Google:

ripley "believe it or not" "dead bodies"
"honore fragonard" horse dead

A similar (and, in my opinion, more interesting) artist of a more
recent vintage is Gunter von Hagens, developer of a body preservation
method called "plastination", which essentially replaces the body's
fluids and fats with a reactive polymer.  The level of preservation is
remarkably lifelike, and astonishingly fascinating:

Gunter von Hagens' Bodyworlds:  The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies
http://www.koerperwelten.de/en/pages/home.asp

His horse and rider piece is featured on that page, and you can see it
in greater detail here:

Highlander
http://www.koerperwelten.de/Downloads/Wallpaper_Highlander_800x600.jpg

--Missy

Damien Hirst, winner of the Turner Prize, has exhibited works that
make use of dead bodies preserved in formaldehyde.

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/H/hirst.html

hlabadie-ga

For an utterly whimsical take on the process on plastination and the
inevitable shivers it can invoke, rent "Anatomie," a German film
(2000) starring Franka Potente (Run, Lola, Run). It's by no means a
high-brow film, but it is a fun update of some familiar
horror/thriller themes.