This is not your uncle's taxidermy

Ophelia, by The Idiots
The Idiots, Ophelia, from "Taxidermy Art" by Robert Marbury (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2014. Photo by Robert Marbury.
The Idiots, from "Taxidermy Art" | Photo by Robert Marbury
Robert Marbury's "Taxidermy Art"
Robert Marbury's "Taxidermy Art"
Cover courtesy of the publisher

If the word "taxidermy" sparks visions of a deer head hanging in a relative's den, cast them aside.

Rogue taxidermy — taxidermy art — has very little resemblance to the walleye on your uncle's wall.

Robert Marbury
Robert Marbury, author of "Taxidermy Art: A Rogue's Guide to the Work, the Culture, and How to Do It Yourself"
Photo courtesy of Robert Marbury

Taxidermy art traces its roots to Minnesota — and Robert Marbury has been part of it from the beginning. Now he's written a book about it.

On the book's description:

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"In this collection of taxidermy art, you'll find a winged monkey with a fez and a martini glass, a jewel-encrusted piglet, a bionic fawn, and a polar bear balancing on a floating refrigerator.""

Marbury profiles the artists behind the niche genre in "Taxidermy Art: A Rogue's Guide to the Work, the Culture and How to Do It Yourself."

From the publisher:

"In 2004, artist Robert Marbury and a group of friends, united by their love of Victorian taxidermy and sideshow oddities, formed the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists.

They could never have predicted that over the next decade, taxidermy would escape the curiosity cabinet to grace magazine pages and restaurant walls, while DIY taxidermy classes from Brooklyn to London would become as popular as happy hour with a young set of urban crafters."