German museum exhibits Van Gogh's ear replica grown from relative's cells

A German museum has put on display a copy of Vincent van Gogh's ear that was grown using some of the Dutch artist's genetic material. The 19-century painter is said to have cut off his own left ear during a psychotic episode in 1888. The Centre for Art and Media in Karlsruhe says the replica ear consists of living cells grown from samples provided by Lieuwe van Gogh, the great-great-grandson of Vincent's brother Theo. The museum says Lieuwe and Vincent van Gogh share about one sixteenth of the same genes, including the Y-chromosome that is passed down the male lineage. Artist Diemut Strebe told the Associated Press on Tuesday that she wanted to combine art and science.