August 14, 2001

Contact: James Helyar, Kenneth Spencer Research Library special collections, (785) 864-2034
Editors note: Scans of Gouldÿs art are available on request to University Relations (785) 864-3256 or mjdunlap@ku.edu

KU library exhibit extends happy 80th birthday to KC doctor, art scholar

LAWRENCE -- An exhibit of the art of John Gould's birds and beasts opened Aug. 1 at the University of Kansas Spencer Research Library is an 80th birthday celebration for a Kansas City, Mo., physician who has donated extensively to the collection.

The exhibit honors Dr. Gordon C. Sauer, a partially retired dermatologist, who in addition to publishing books on the artist known as Australia's Audubon has provided gifts of original drawings by Gould to the KU collection. Sauer celebrates his 80th birthday today.

The exhibit, "John Gould: His Birds and Beasts" runs through the Oct. 31.

Since 1951, when Dr. Sauer contacted KU libraries regarding its collection of Gould's art, he has made a series of important gifts of original drawings to enhance the collection.

Sauer gave his latest gift this year -- drawings for an unpublished book on the eggs of Australian birds. In 1982 he published "John Gould, the Bird Man: a chronology and bibliography,ú a reference that is essential to anyone working on Gould.

In addition, Sauer published another four books about Gould and is presently editing Gould's correspondence (three volumes published, and two more complete in manuscript).

"Today, KU is the world's most important center for the study of John Gould and his work. Beginning with the magnificent bequest of Ralph Ellis, which brought us a near complete set of Gould's major works and more than 2,000 drawings and paintings by Gould and his affiliated artists, we have put together an unparalleled resource for the study of Gould's methods and final productions," said James Helyar, KU special collections curator.

Selected from the extensive Gould holdings of the Department of Special Collections, the exhibition displays Gould's work over the 50 years of his working life, showing drawings, paintings and hand-colored lithographs of birds and animals from around the world. Gould's first important work, A Century of Birds from the Himalayas, was published in 1831 when he was 27. Over the next 49 years Gould worked tirelessly, undertaking scientific expeditions and publishing some 50 folio volumes as well as more than 300 articles and shorter books.

Assisted by a number of artists, including his talented wife, Elizabeth, and Edward Lear (better known to many for his nonsense verse), Gould placed on the shelves of homes and libraries around the world beautiful and scientifically accurate portrayals of nature. Far from mere coffee-table books, however, Gould's monographs in many cases included the first descriptions of previously unknown animals. His two-year expedition to Australia in 1838-1840 added more than 300 species to the list of known Australian birds and established Gould as the father of Australian natural history.

The exhibition is intended to demonstrate the methods of production of these remarkable pieces of 19th-century art, and to display the beauty of the creatures to which John Gould devoted his life.

The Kenneth Spencer Research Library is located between Strong Hall and the Memorial Campanile and can be reached across the Terrace north of Strong, or from Poplar Lane.