Museum of Natural History

NEOZOA: ANIMAL NEWCOMERS & NATIVE EXOTICS
since March 2023

The exhibition at the Natural History Museum highlights the phenomenon of new citizens, so-called neozoa, which have left their original ranges due to human activity. In addition, the exhibition presents animals that immigrate independently, often favored by climate change, or were once extinct but have returned. Tracing the new citizens, climate migrants and returnees, the exhibition takes a look at the establishment of new - sometimes exotic - animal species in Germany.

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Peter Frey’s (1872-1954) top-class exhibition is one of the main emphases of the Museum of Natural History. It contains 1,074 stuffed birds presented in detailed dioramas, as well as 17 mammals. With regard to the changes of biodiversity and the population of native species of birds, these are important references.

The ornithologist and passionate huntsman Dr Peter Frey actually worked as a dentist for a living and collected his exhibits according to systematic aspects. His aim was a preferably complete collection with one specimen per species.

He derived his animals (which were skinned in one piece) from all over Europe, even from zoos. 

His rewards and scientific studies from the first half of the 20th century are still important pieces of reference concerning the changes of biodiversity and the population of native species of birds. The collection was assembled roughly between 1890 and 1954 and gives us an overall picture of the way animals were stuffed and collections were put together.

This collection of about 575 sculptures (plaster, clay, stone cast and bronze) was gradually acquired by Benrath Palace and Park Foundation and the City of Düsseldorf in 2006/2007. About 1,300 hand drawings and sketches as well as 1,450 objects including stuffed animals, skeletons, natural casts and an extensive collection of personal items are stored at Aquazoo – Löbbecke-Museum.

Born in Cologne, Pallenberg went to Cologne Zoo frequently and started to capture his observations in sketches and to implement them plastically when he was still a pupil.

His later professors and teachers included Peter Theodor Janssen, Friedrich Roeber and Willy Spatz at the Academy of Fine Arts in Düsseldorf. In his workshop in the vicinity of Cologne Zoo, he created his first important pieces of art around 1900. For research purposes, he also kept a tame wolf called Prinz and a lioness called Guste there. 

Pallenberg first garnered recognition, when his sculpture Boar Hunt was exhibited at Industrie- und Gewerbeausstellung at Düsseldorf Kunstpalast in 1902. At Große Berliner Kunstausstellung in 1904, Pallenberg was represented with 16 animal sculptures. In 1907, Pallenberg was awarded the Golden Medal of the State for Rominten Deer at Deutschnationale Kunstausstellung. The original animal sculpture is still on display at Zoologischer Garten Berlin, while a recast is presented at Düsseldorfer Hofgarten. 

Thanks to his recognition as an animal sculptor, Carl Hagenbeck commissioned Pallenberg to create the main entrance of Tierpark Hagenbeck. To this day, this landmark can still be visited and is one of the park’s major attractions. In the years to follow, he also designed about 50 dinosaur reconstructions on a scale of one to one which up to this day and despite the advance of technology rank amongst the most naturalistic depictions of those animals.

After moving to a workshop in Düsseldorf-Lohausen, Pallenberg was finally able to free himself of any convention and restriction dictated by residents. Due to him conducting anatomical analyses, he always kept life animals and was not exactly a welcome neighbour. Despite his lions and other predators being tame, they were still feared. But it was this coexistence in combination with his observation skills supported by technical media such as photography and films that rendered Pallenberg able to depict animals in their natural motion process and to immortalize them with various materials. 

His naturalistic pieces of work made Pallenberg also famous abroad. Apart from zoos, among his commissioners there were museums and zoological institutes in e.g. Detroit, La Plata and Cincinnati. Pallenberg also modelled porcelain figurines for WMF and Karl Ens. 

• Bags, umbrellas and other luggage please stay in the checkroom.
• Bringing drinks and food in the historical rooms is not allowed.
• Please do not touch anything.
• Please take photos for private purpose only and without flash.