Artist creates replica of Van Gogh's ear using living cells from relative

Artist creates replica of Van Gogh&#039;s ear using living cells from relative

(Image credit: Twitter/3DPrintGirl)

last updated 8 January 2015

Using genetic material from a living relative, a copy of Vincent Van Gogh's ear (let's pretend it's the one he cut off) is currently on display in a German museum.

Artist Diemut Strebe used living cells from Van Gogh's brother's great-great-great-grandson to create the replica, The Associated Press reports. Strebe then used a 3D printer and shaped the cells to resemble the ear. "I use science basically like a type of brush, like Vincent used paint," she said. The ear was grown at a hospital in Boston, and is currently being kept alive in a case that contains a special liquid. Work is underway to use mitochondrial DNA from one of Van Gogh's female relatives to create a future installation.

In addition to looking at the ear and asking, "Why?" visitors to the Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe can speak into it through a microphone.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.