Botanical art at Fulham Palace
Tuesday February 9, 2010
The intricate structure of a courgette tendril or a trio of beetroot may seem prosaic to some, but the artistic skill in rendering these objects is a key aspect of the UK's botanical science base.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has teamed up with Fulham Palace to put some of the finest examples of the country's botanical art on display.
Striking paintings and drawings of plants including poppy, iris, rose and geranium from six RHS gold medalwinning artists are now on display at the historic venue for the next nine weeks.
RHS president Giles Coode- Adams said: "These are the very best in contemporary botanical art. Although they are done in very different styles, they are all presenting flowers and plants in a way so they can be identified exactly from a scientific point of view.
"We have got something very special here - it is not usual to get art of this quality."
Although botanical art has been produced for hundreds of years, it has been affected by technological developments such as the introduction of the microscope.
However, the purpose of the discipline has remained the same: to be able to establish the identity of the plant portrayed.
In 2006 there was a major revival in the art form when the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew opened the world's first gallery dedicated to such art.
Kew's Shirley Sherwood Gallery has in fact loaned some of the pieces now on display in Fulham Palace's Bishop Terrick's drawing and dining rooms.
Other artworks have been loaned from the RHS Lindley Library, or private collectors.
H&F cabinet member Frances Stainton said: "There is a long history of botanical interest at Fulham Palace. This is a fantastic exhibition of art at a very high standard."
The six artists - Gillian Barlow, Brigitte Daniel, Annie Farrer, Regine Hagedorn, Fiona Strickland and Ann Swan - are all highly respected in the field.
Ann said that in her 20 years as a botanical painter she found people were most drawn to the detail of the style.
"People love nature," she added. "It is nice to have a venue for this work here because up until now there were only private galleries or Kew."
The display took about a year to come to fruition after the first spark of an idea from RHS shows director Stephen Bennett.
"I had visited Fulham Palace before and fell in love with the place," said Stephen, who approached Fulham Palace director Scott Cooper with his thoughts.
"The RHS has its own exhibition halls in Victoria but this is such a great venue."
As the first partnership between the RHS and the palace, there are hopes the exhibition could lead to further collaboration in the future.
Scott added: "They trust us and we trust them. This is the first experiment. They enjoy working with us, and we with them. It's a wonderful relationship that we all hope will lead to many more wonderful exhibitions of botanical art over the coming years."
The exhibition runs until April 12 and is free. See www.fulhampalacegallery.org (opens new window) or call the palace on 020 7736 3233 for opening times.
