Redouté to Warhol: Bunny Mellon's Botanical Art

This exhibition was on display in the New York Botanical Garden’s LuEsther T. Mertz Library Art Gallery from the fall of 2016 to the winter of 2017. It featured masterworks from the Oak Spring Garden Library curated by Dr. Lucia Tongiorgi Tomasi, Susan Fraser, and Tony Willis, dating from the 14th century to the 20th century.

Slideshow

This book of hours (ca. 1530-1535) contains illuminations attributed to the great Flemish artist Simon Bening, framed by decorated motifs from nature. 

Georg Dionysius Ehret (German) was one of the most renowned botanical painters of the 18th Century. This painting demonstrates his ability to capture the botanical features and sheer exuberance of Magnolia grandiflora (ca. 1737).

A rare manuscript copy of the 14th-century German magister Konrad von Megenberg's Buch der Natur is illustrated with drawings about agronomy and natural history.

Georg Dionysius Ehret's work demonstrates his attention to detail and mastery of composition. Opuntia, 1758. 

Pablo Picasso (Spanish) embellished this lithograph of a flower vase (ca. 1958) with autograph additions in crayon.

Girolamo Pini was an Italian painter who was active early in the 17th century. Etude de Fleurs, 1614.

Pierre Joseph Redouté (French, 1759-1840) has been called the "Raphael of flower painting" for the lifelike quality of his paintings, seen here in a bouquet of tulips and roses. 

Jan Van Kessel the Elder was a 17th century Flemish painter with a passion for the natural world. You can learn more about his work by watching OSGF's video feature on him here. 

Andy Warhol (American) appended a handwritten recipe to the bottom of this drawing of a grape leaf. Vine Leaf Marinade, ca. 1955.