The Art of Science

by Jean Fornasiero (Editor), Lindl Lawton (Editor), John West-Sooby (Editor)

This book has been published to coincide with the touring exhibition The Art of Science: Baudin's Voyagers 1800-1804, which showcases more than 350 works from the Lesueur Collection held by the Museum of Natural History in Le Havre, Normandy, France.

175 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good summary of the many aspects of the Baudin exhibition on Baudin’s Voyagers 1800 -1804. The exhibition is travelling around Australia to the State Capitals that Baudin's path brushed near in the southern part of the Continent. I was lucky to see it in Canberra at The National Museum. Much of the exhibition material has not been seen in Australia since Baudin was here. There are over 340 of the original paintings and drawings from the Museum of Natural History in Le Havre and material from other French institutions. These include Baudin’s chronometer, exquisite coastal profiles, hand drawn maps, and Baudin’s personal journal from France’s National Archives.
The many contributors have covered not on the voyage itself but also the continuing impact. A number of the animals recorded were wiped out, particularly on Islands where whalers lived with their dogs. The miniature emu is one that I didn't know of. Aboriginal knowledge and artefacts that were shared with Baudin's expedition and spent the last 200 years in France have also helped to preserve what was lost in Australia through generations of turmoil. Some of which has been recreated from Baudin's artist's drawings by today's Aboriginal artist.
Highly recommended.