(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Andrea Wulf, author of the momentous “The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World,” will present an illustrated lecture based on her book at Hudson High School on Saturday, April 9, at 4pm.  The event, sponsored by The Olana Partnership, will be Wulf’s first East Coast stop on her United States and United Kingdom tour, and will include a booksigning.

“The Invention of Nature” reveals the extraordinary life of the visionary German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) and how he created the way we understand nature today.  Perceiving nature as an interconnected global force, he turned scientific observation into poetic narrative, and inspired Frederic Church on numerous levels.

“More than any other painter, Frederic Church answered Alexander von Humboldt’s appeal to unite the arts and the sciences. I can’t wait to visit Olana and to have the opportunity to talk about Humboldt’s ideas and concept of nature – many of which became so important for Church,” stated Wulf.

Though almost forgotten today, Humboldt was an intrepid explorer and the most famous scientist of his age. His restless life was packed with adventure and discovery, whether climbing the highest volcanoes in the world, paddling down the Orinoco or racing through anthrax–infested Siberia. Humboldt discovered similarities between climate zones across the world and predicted human-induced climate change. His writings inspired naturalists and poets such as Charles Darwin, Henry Wadsworth and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as well as politicians like Thomas Jefferson and artists like Frederic Church.

Humboldt’s writings are documented in his five volume series Kosmos written between 1845-1896.  It was these writings that inspired Frederic Church to follow in the footsteps of Alexander von Humboldt and travel to the same locations in Columbia, Ecuador, Mexico and Germany painting the natural world that so fascinated Humboldt.  The entire journey can be summed up in one of Church’s most famous works, “The Heart of the Andes.”  The connections and influence Humboldt had on Church will be on display in the 2016 exhibition at Olana titled “Capturing the Cosmos,” opening on May 15.

Andrea Wulf was born in India and moved to Germany as a child. She lives in Britain where she trained as a design historian at the Royal College of Art. She is the author of “The Brother Gardeners” and the co-author of “This Other Eden.” Her book “Founding Gardeners” was published to great acclaim in spring 2011. Her “Chasing Venus” was published in 2012 in eight countries in conjunction with the last transit of Venus in our century. Her latest book, “The Invention of Nature,” has received rave reviews and has been voted one of the 10 best books of 2015 by the New York Times.

To pre-register, visit The Olana Partnership or call Olana’s Education Department at 518-828-1872 ext. 105. Walk-ins are welcome. The Hudson High School Auditorium is located at 215 Harry Howard Avenue, Hudson, NY 12534.  Tickets to the illustrated lecture are $10 for members of The Olana Partnership and $15 for non-members.