Anatomical art reveals everything - skin, bones, muscles, organs. But it also exposes the tastes, desires, and power behind medical knowledge.
Beneath the Sheets: Anatomy, Art and Power is our upcoming exhibition exploring centuries of surgical illustration and the hidden stories they tell: whose bodies were used, who controlled their depiction, and what these images reveal about society.
From Joseph Maclise’s hauntingly beautiful 19th-century drawings to marginalised figures who were objectified, erased, or silenced, the exhibition uncovers the human stories behind anatomy.
🎬 Featuring a newly commissioned film by queer interdisciplinary artist Marlowe Mitchell
🎟 Free with your museum ticket or membership
📅 7 Feb – 21 June
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Today, we celebrate #InternationalNursesDay 💙
From the nurses of the past who cared for patients in challenging conditions, to the dedicated professionals working across healthcare today, and the future generations who will shape nursing for years to come - we honour the skill, compassion, and resilience of nurses everywhere! 🧑⚕️👩⚕️
📸 Entrance to Operating Theatre at St. James’s Hospital, c.1934 - Nurses Cleaning Plaster Table
You can browse our collections online. To see this photograph, search: 553.013
Flex your science skills this May half term💪
Join us for Amazing Anatomy, a packed programme of hands-on activities that reveal the inner workings of the human body.
🗓️ Saturday 23 - Sunday 31 May
🦴Thackray Science Live: Funny Bones
23–29 May | Various Times
Expect amazing facts, impressive demonstrations, and lots of rib-tickling laughter!
🎨Craft: Scratch That
Daily | 10am–4pm
Use our anatomical stencils and scratch art sheets to reveal what’s going on beneath the skin.
🫀Family Trail: How We Fit Together
Daily | 10am–4pm
Can you match each body part to its right place? Complete the trail around the galleries and discover how our body parts fit together.
🧠Under-5s Explorer Bag
Daily | 10am–4pm
Go on a sensory journey and find the crochet organs hidden across the museum. Expect to find woolly eyes, brains, tummies and intestines – and link them to the objects in your bag!
All activities are free with museum entry ❤️
Keep an eye out for dissection booking details 👀
Step onto the front line and immerse yourself in the high-stakes world of medical TV. 📺
Are you team McDreamy or McSteamy? Why is it never lupus? Can you see one, do one, teach one?
We’re pulling back the curtain on the drama and the reality (or lack of) behind medicine on screen. 🩺
Expect:
📺close-up examinations of iconic TV moments
🎨hands-on crafts
🎭improv theatre
🏥thought-provoking insights from expert speakers
💿🍹Plus, there’ll be a live DJ set and bar to keep you topped up throughout the night.
Thackray Lates is our 18+ after-hours series, where unusual topics and untold stories come alive through talks, experiments, workshops and performances.
Grab the crash cart – Stat! Dress up in your finest Scrubs and we’ll see you in The Pitt.
📆 Thursday 25 June, 6-10pm
More details to follow soon 👀
Design by @etchthestudio
🪡Every month, I run an embroidery group at @thackraymuseum with @beingyouleedsconsortium . 🪡
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Our current project is a collaborative memory quilt, where we piece together meaningful fabrics and enjoy the therapeutic benefits of hand stitching.
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#quilting #stitchingtogether #communitysewing #textiles #leeds
Beneath the Sheets: Anatomy, Art and Power 💓
A new exhibition offering an intimate look at centuries of anatomical artwork. Meet the anonymous bodies opened up for inspection and discover the human stories that were left in the margins.
🎫 Free with your museum ticket or Membership
📅 On until Sunday 21 June
🔗 Find out more and book your tickets on our website
Curious about a career in healthcare?🩺
Discover your future in medicine at our FREE open day!
Expect to hone your eye for detail with real-life X rays, stay calm under pressure with the guidance of experienced surgeons, and even practice some lifesaving skills along the way.
Recommended for young people aged 13+ and their families.
📅 Saturday 16 May
⏰10am-4pm
📍Thackray Museum of Medicine
Supported by the Medical Schools Council
#medschool #medschooljourney #aspiringmedic #ukuniversity
Day in my life: skeleton edition 💀
Yesterday I explored Medicine in Space at Thackray Museum of Medicine… and it was out-of-this-world 🤯
Live science shows (last shows on Friday!), rocket crafting🚀, under 5s explorer bags and family trails = 10/10 day out ✨
Of course I stopped at the cafe for a coffee and sweet treat☕🍰
If you need a fun family day out before the holidays end… this is your sign 👀
📅 Ending Sunday 19 April 2026
⏰ 10am-4pm daily
🎟️ Free with your museum ticket or Membership
