Way up on the fabled fifth floor of Hunt Library, the 17th International Exhibition of Botanical Art & Illustration from the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation is now open to the public. Toting the works of 43 artists from 19 countries, the show has a pretty hefty overview of the current big hitters in the botanical art scene.
They’re nothing to scoff at — the work displayed is beyond stunning. For the uninitiated, the Institute collects and displays highly realistic drawings and paintings of plants, flowers, fungi, and most other things you could categorize under botany. As with all of the Institute’s shows, magnifying glasses are present throughout the gallery to get a look at the finer details in what you’re seeing, but I found myself holding mine up far more than in past exhibitions. The levels of refinement and minute detail are a bit mind boggling in several pieces up on the varnished oak walls.
The space itself is another great reason to visit the Institute. The fifth floor of Hunt is decked out in gorgeous wood paneling and silky curtains that make you feel a bit like you’ve time traveled into some glamorous technicolor high-rise worthy of Cary Grant. That’s not even mentioning the entire recreated living room of the Hunt family behind glass doors next to the gallery! I’m serious — it has an ancient grandfather clock, shelves of first-edition books, and porcelain tea sets. If you ask politely and don’t give off the impression of someone who loves ransacking old manor houses, the librarian might let you in.
Back to the exhibition! This is the first International the Institute has hosted to feature digitally created artworks — something not fathomable when it opened in 1961. Two artists, Benjamin Cardenas and Andreia d’Almeida, contributed digital renderings printed via inkjet on paper. Most other works shown are done in graphite, watercolor, or ink. As mentioned, this International is the 17th the Institute has hosted, and the last was in 2019. Each one is held every few years, and it’s likely the next one won’t be until you have graduated, so don’t hover on the fence about paying a visit!
The exhibition will be on display between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and is free of charge. A reception will be held on Thursday, Oct. 17 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., where attendees will meet the curators and some of the artists whose work is featured in the gallery.
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