Windows on Nature: The Great Habitat Dioramas of the American Museum of Natural History

About this book

New York Citys American Museum of Natural History is a national treasure attracting four million visitors annually. Its dioramas-a dazzling mixture of nature science and art-have inspired young and old alike and are world-renowned examples of the unique diorama craft: art in the service of science. Now in the only book of its kind readers get an insiders view of these "windows on nature " witnessing their creation step by meticulous step. More than forty of the museums finest dioramas are featured here depicting the fauna and flora of myriad ecological environments. Stephen Quinn a diorama artist at the museum introduces the explorers naturalists painters sculptors taxidermists and conservationists behind these three-dimensional marvels and explains how their collaborations make the displays so lifelike. This enchanting book is the perfect gift for nature lovers art enthusiasts and museum goers everywhere.