The
Marianne North Gallery at Kew Gardens in London, England, is the only
permanent solo exhibition of a female artist’s works in the Great
Britain. It contains 833 botanical paintings and 246 specimens of wood
from all over the world. The exhibit opened in 1882. It was designed by
North herself, and the works remain today as she placed them.
Marianne
North was an extraordinary woman who avoided marriage and loved to
travel, but preferred to travel alone. When she discovered how much she
loved painting at the age of 38, she decided to paint species of the
world, right where they grew. And that she did, for the rest of her
life. She lived and worked in six continents and produced over 1,000
pieces of art.
North’s legacy was clear even in her
own time. Sir Hooker proclaimed her collection to be an important
record of soon-to-be extinct species, and Charles Darwin, a family
friend, requested she document the flora of Australia, New Zealand, and
Tanzania to fill out her collection (which she did, despite her failing
health). Though her lifestyle was controversial in her time, her work
continues to be one of the world’s most important collections of
historic botanical art. Four species are named in her honor.
You can read about North’s life and see more of her art
at Atlas Obscura.
No comments:
Post a Comment