News Release: 14 January 1999

Exquisite Dutch and Flemish Flower Still Lifes on View at National Gallery of Art, 31 January - 31 May 1999

Washington, DC--The beauty of exotic flowers and discoveries in science and botany are celebrated in an exhibition of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish flower still-life paintings, watercolors, manuscripts, and botanical books. On view in the National Gallery of Art's West Building Dutch Cabinet Galleries, 31 January-31 May 1999, From Botany to Bouquets: Flowers in Northern Art presents sixty-one works by many of the greatest still-life artists of the period.

These include Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder (1573-1621), Roelandt Savery (1576-1639), Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625), Jan Davidsz. de Heem (1606-1683/1684), and Jan van Huysum (1682-1749). Works have been loaned by both private and public collections, including those of Mrs. Paul Mellon, Dumbarton Oaks, and the Folger Shakespeare Library.

The exhibition is made possible by a generous contribution from Shell Oil Company Foundation.

"The concept of flowers as works of art only evolved at the end of the sixteenth century when rare and exotic flowers were being collected with particular passion in The Netherlands," said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. "The works in this exhibition reveal the fascinating character of Dutch and Flemish flower painting, which delights us both for its realism and its suggestive symbolism. We are grateful to Shell Oil Company Foundation not only for its support of this current series, but also for its support of exhibitions of Dutch art at the Gallery since 1986."

"Shell Oil Company Foundation, on behalf of the employees of Shell Oil Company, is proud to make possible this presentation to the American people," said J.E. Little, president and CEO, Shell Oil Company.

From Botany to Bouquets: Flowers in Northern Art is the second in a series funded by Shell Oil Company Foundation to explore the Gallery's rich collection of Dutch and Flemish art. Previous exhibitions funded by the Foundation include A Collector's Cabinet (17 May-1 November 1998), the first in the series, which attracted a total of 233,512 visitors, as well as Jan Steen: Painter and Storyteller (1996), Piet Mondrian: 1872-1944 (1995), and The Age of Bruegel: Netherlandish Drawings in the Sixteenth Century (1986).

The exhibition traces the stylistic evolution of Dutch and Flemish flower still lifes, ranging from the small-scale, restrained images created at the start of the seventeenth century to the large, opulent bouquets depicted in the early eighteenth century. Paintings that include Jan Davidsz. de Heem's Vase of Flowers, c. 1660, Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder's Bouquet of Flowers in a Glass Vase, 1621, and Jan van Huysum's Still Life with Flowers and Fruit, c. 1715, convey the delicacy of blossoms, the organic rhythms of leaves, and the varied textures of plants with astonishing accuracy.

The origins of flower painting are also explored through a number of botanical treatises, manuscripts, and watercolors by outstanding sixteenth- and seventeenth-century printmakers and draftsmen. These works stem from three important pictorial traditions: floral borders in devotional manuscripts (The Annunciation from Book of Hours [Warburg Hours], c. 1500), the Renaissance naturalism of artists working in the manner of Albrecht Dürer (Tuft of Cowslips, 1526), and botanical illustrations (Narcissus from Otto Brunfels' important herbal Herbarum Vivae Eicones [Strasbourg], 1530).

Artists, botanists, illustrators, and publishers all drew from each other's work, creating an intellectual and artistic climate that stimulated the flourishing of flower still-life painting at the beginning of the seventeenth century. For example, the Leiden painter Jacques de Gheyn II, whose Still Life with Flowers, c. 1602/1604, is in this exhibition, was inspired by Carolus Clusius, the famous botanist who moved to Leiden in 1593 to lay out the university's botanical garden.

Flowers and paintings of flowers became a central passion in The Netherlands, as exotic species poured in from the Balkan peninsula, the Near and Far East, and the New World. Botanists and private collectors eagerly sought to acquire unusual flowers--the scarlet lily, the fritillaria, and, above all, the tulip--which they cultivated in their gardens. The exhibition presents sheets such as Jacob Marrel's Admiral d'Hollande, 1642, from "tulip books" that artists created for prospective buyers during the tulipmania of the mid-1630s, as well as watercolor drawings of prized blossoms such as Jan Withoos' Morning Glory, c. 1670, which were commissioned by garden owners.

Still-life artists were among the highest paid and most revered of the period; nevertheless, art theorists ranked still lifes lower than paintings of historical scenes drawn from the Bible or mythology largely because they believed that imagination was more important than craft. Flower painters, however, conceived their works imaginatively, often creating pictorial effects that nature could not equal--they combined flowers that blossomed at different times of the year or incorporated symbolism in their bouquets, which ranged from joyous depictions of religious ideals to poignant reminders of death. The exhibition concludes with a painting celebrating the humanistic concerns of flower painters: Michiel van Musscher's Allegorical Portrait of an Artist, Probably Rachel Ruysch, c. 1680/1685. The painter, seated in an elegant interior, is surrounded by objects--including a statue of Minerva, patroness of the arts--symbolizing the learning and refinement that enabled her to create the flower still life resting before her on the easel.

The exhibition is organized by Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of northern baroque paintings at the National Gallery of Art, and the author of the exhibition catalogue. The illustrated ninety-page volume, published by the National Gallery of Art, is available in softcover for $17. A free brochure, made possible by Juliet and Lee Folger/The Folger Fund, is available at the entrance to the exhibition.

General Information

The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are at all times free to the public. They are located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, and are open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1. For information call (202) 737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (202) 842-6176, or visit the Gallery's Web site at www.nga.gov. The Gallery is now on Facebook—become a fan at www.facebook.com/NationalGalleryofArt.

Visitors will be asked to present all carried items for inspection upon entering the East and West Buildings. Checkrooms are free of charge and located at each entrance. Luggage and other oversized bags must be presented at the 4th Street entrances to the East or West Building to permit x-ray screening and must be deposited in the checkrooms at those entrances. For the safety of visitors and the works of art, nothing may be carried into the Gallery on a visitor's back. Any bag or other items that cannot be carried reasonably and safely in some other manner must be left in the checkrooms. Items larger than 17 x 26 inches cannot be accepted by the Gallery or its checkrooms.

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phone: (202) 842-6353 e-mail: pressinfo@nga.gov

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