Evolution for the Masses: Exhibiting Evolution at the Moscow Darwin Museum

• In Event: Exhibiting Evolution

Abstract

The paper examines the Moscow Darwin Museum’s specific approach to exhibiting evolution in the context of both international and Soviet museology, the use of art in the museum’s exhibition, and offers an overview of the museum’s history intertwined with the history of Darwinism, from its origins in pre-revolutionary Russia to today. Although the museum is one of the most visited institutions in Moscow today, it was fairly neglected in the post-war era, especially from the Thaw onwards. Nonetheless, the museum remained active and engaged with issues that preoccupied Soviet citizens, from the search for the Yeti to environmentalism, connecting both to the core mission of advancing Darwinism.

Author

• Mirjam Voerkelius, U of Maryland, Baltimore County