The Art of Science presents the best of Museum Victoria’s remarkable collection of natural history artworks.

The book opens with the ‘paper museums’ of the seventeenth and eighteenth century, stunning collections of the bizarre and fabulous, each one exquisitely depicted. It presents the valiant artistic efforts of Europeans to ‘see’ Australia’s extraordinary fauna, and celebrates the golden age of natural history illustration dominated by Audubon and Gould, those giants of avian illustration.

In the contemporary museum, art and science still work hand in glove, from the palaeo-artistry of Peter Trusler to the amazing microscopic world revealed by new imaging technology. The Art of Science is a unique collection of exquisite images that will enrich our understanding of the history of art and science, the natural world, and the miracle of human perception.