The German artist, doctor and anatomist made a name for himself by finding a way to "plastinate" cadavers by using synthetic resin to freeze semi-dissected bodies in lifelike poses with the skin peeled back.
And after being diagnosed with terminal Parkinson's disease, von Hagens says he is planning to donate his own body to his provocative traveling show when he dies, according to The New York Times.
"[My wife] will plastinate my body ... [and] my plastinated corpse will then stand in a welcoming pose at the entrance of my exhibition," he said.
Turning his cadaver into a standing sculpture is certainly a bold way to cement his legacy, but von Hagens, who turns 66 this week, has never been one to shy away from controversy.
Known for his trademark black fedora, the anatomist and showman has taken heat for performing a public autopsy that was televised in England and, according to NPR, for failing to provide a clear paper trail that definitively proves the corpses in his exhibition are obtained from willing donors.
Read more at The New York Times.
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