Vincent van Gogh’s famously self-severed ear has now been recreated with 3D Printing. Diemut Strebe created the replica ear using living cells from van Gogh’s great-great-grandson. Lieuwe van Gogh shares 1/16th of the same genetic material as the famously troubled artist, including the Y chromosome that is only passed down to male descendants.
The ear itself is made from actual living tissue and was 3D printed into a shape resembling van Gogh’s left ear. How the artist knew what van Gogh’s left ear looked like has not been made apparent, however the reports that he even severed his ear to begin with remain ever in question.
The 3D printed ear is currently being displayed in a German museum and is suspended in a clear display case full of a nourishing liquid that is expected to keep it viable for many years. The artist has also added a microphone to her installation so you can actually speak to the replica of Vincent van Gogh’s severed ear. The ear was grown at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston from some samples of Lieuwe’s DNA that Strebe provided.
Strebe says that she plans to bring the ear to New York next year, however no dates or locations have been announced as yet.
