For many scientists, art is not simply a side pursuit but part of how they make sense of the world. From microbiologist Louis Pasteur’s paintings to naturalist Charles Darwin’s use of photographs as illustrations and evidence, creative practice can parallel scientific discovery. Just as art resonates differently with each viewer, it also shapes researchers in different ways and serves distinct roles in their work. Yet this connection is not always obvious or accessible.
In his new book, The Arts of Eminent Scientists: Essential Connections between Art and Science, scientist, artist, and historian Robert Root-Bernstein introduced readers to a collection of artwork from scientists who had reached the highest levels of recognition—Nobel Prize winners and nominees as well as members of national academies. These researchers integrated artistic practice directly into their scientific thinking, yet much of their work has remained hidden in archives or private collections.
Here, he paired images—of paintings, sculptures, jewelry, and more—with text that described the artists’ motivations and traced connections between their creative practice, scientific work, and their personal lives. Root-Bernstein described the project as “a sampling from the tip of a large and largely unexplored iceberg.”
The Journey from Biochemistry to the History of Science
Root-Bernstein’s interest in the science-art connection grew out of his own background. Now a professor emeritus at Michigan State University, he was raised in a household where art and science naturally coexisted: His father was a computer programmer and his mother a nurse—both were also artists. When he arrived at Princeton University to study biochemistry, though, he found himself drawn less to the narrow specialization of enzymes or receptors and more to big, unifying questions. “I’d grown up reading Louis Pasteur and Charles Darwin, and I like the big picture. I like to see how things fit together, and I like theory.”
Rather than continue in biochemistry, he chose to stay at Princeton for graduate school but shifted his focus to the history of science. There, he explored how scientists identify the central problems in their fields. “What differentiates a Darwin, a Pasteur, or somebody like that from the average scientist? How do they identify those big problems or a way to get to those big problems that most of us never do?”
Robert Root-Bernstein wears many hats: He is a scientist, artist, historian, and a writer.
Robert Root-Bernstein
As he conducted historical analysis, poring over academic papers and laboratory notebooks, he came to the realization that there was a pattern. “One of the things I kept seeing over and over again was that these people understood that [these ideas] didn't come out of logic. They would often come out of intuition. They discussed that and a way of thinking that they often described in terms that were very artistic.” He was reminded of this while working as a postdoctoral researcher with virologist Jonas Salk at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. “[Salk] said, ‘I become the virus to understand what it is I need to do.’”
Digging Into Archives, Biographies, and Collections for Art
Over the next four decades, Root-Bernstein set out to explore this connection more deeply. In particular, he focused on scientists who won or were nominees for a Nobel Prize, been inducted in one or more national academies of science, or had a phenomenon or effect named after them.
It was clear that there was a connection between eminent scientists spending a significant amount of time, not just on their science, but also doing some kind of art or artistic thinking. He remarked that for scientists like Pasteur, art was “critical for his ability to visualize and observe things” and that he “was one of the great observers.”
As Root-Bernstein searched for more examples, he often encountered the artwork itself. At Oxford University Archives, for instance, archivists eagerly showed him a neglected collection of illustrations and paintings—works that, as he recalled them saying, “nobody’s looked at for the last 30 years.” In other cases, a passing reference in a biography would lead him to discover that a scientist’s family still held these pieces in private collections.
When his travels brought him nearby, he would write to the families, and many were welcoming, happy to share both the artwork and the stories behind them. The artwork spanned from oil paintings of quaint village scenes blanketed in snow, to ships floating in a cove, intricate portraits, silver jewelry based on electron diffraction patterns, and more.
Gradually, the pieces began to fall into place. Many of the most accomplished scientists were not only rigorous thinkers but also active artists, dedicating significant time to painting, photography, or other creative pursuits. Some even used art as a source of useful analogies in their scientific work.
Many Renowned Researchers are Artist-Scientist Hybrids
As he explored the motivations behind these dual pursuits, Root-Bernstein noted, “They never looked at their hobbies as a distraction. It was always part of their process, very explicitly.” He was struck by how many of these researchers self-identified as hybrids—both scientists and artists.
He also observed clear conceptual overlaps between artistic and scientific thinking. For example, both disciplines use abstraction: stripping away everything except the essence, whether in abstract art or in isolating the key factors of an experiment. Many of these scientists were interdisciplinary as well, drawing on knowledge from multiple fields to tackle the problems they were trying to solve.
One key message he hopes to convey is that art is valuable for science, as exemplified by these eminent scientists. Artistic practice can make scientists better observers and more skilled at visual imagination, pattern recognition and formation, experimental manipulation, and communication.
As he noted in his book’s introduction, this collection is only a sampling of the clear intersection between scientists and artistry. “It’s the work of a huge community of people,” Root-Bernstein said, acknowledging the support of archivists and the families of the scientists who shared artwork. “I hope it reaches students and teachers, so they realize that the arts are valuable to people.”
Today, he is also exploring the reverse question: Can artists and designers contribute to scientific discovery? His short answer is yes.
