The Four Seasons by Philip Haas, monumental sculptures inspired by the paintings of Giuseppe Arcimboldo go on display at NYBG this weekend as part of Wild Medicine: Healing Plants Around the World!
The New York Botanical Garden is a museum of plants, an educational institution, and a scientific research organization. Founded in 1891 & now a National Historic Landmark, it is one of the greatest botanical gardens in the world. http://www.nybg.org/
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May 15, 2013
April 12, 2013
Malaysian artist Hong Yi set out with one goal—to play with her food in ways not seen since Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Though, admittedly, her methods are a bit more nuanced than those of Richard Dreyfuss.
With spring’s gardening soon to begin, this pared portraiture seemed apt! Click through for more from this tasty collection. —MN
(Source: nprfreshair)
April 12, 2013
A very literal spring take on Deconstruction. Couldn’t tell you if Derrida would be into it, but we are! —MN
April 9, 2013
Green Onion
*Note to self: invest in a higher resolution microscope-camera.
In scientific terms, perhaps. In artistic terms? I’m not so sure. There’s something very beautiful about these microphotographs, don’t you think? ~AR
April 4, 2013
We’ve been living with the grayscale aesthetic for so long that it almost seems as if things were never green to begin with. But the reminders of spring are creeping in from all sides, now. I don’t suppose there’s cause for complaint, hmm? —MN
Sylbia Safdie - Trees, charcoal on mylar, 2005
(via wowgreat)
March 19, 2013
Visit The New York Botanical Garden between May 18 and October 27, 2013 and you’re in for quite the treat. Internationally-renowned contemporary artist Philip Haas has created four huge, 15-foot-tall portrait sculptures that each represent the different seasons. Haas references classical Italian Renaissance portraiture, specifically the works of Renaissance master Giuseppe Arcimboldo, while putting a new twist on his classical forms by blowing up their scale and changing the medium. Two-dimensional painted portraits have now become somewhat crazy-looking three-dimensional sculptures.
Aptly titled Four Seasons, the giant heads have all been created with organic material that’s native to each season. For example, in Winter, the skin is made from over-sized bark and the hair consists of gnarled tree limbs and ivy whereas for Summer, the human portrait is made out of bright bunches of flowers.
The four sculptures will sit in the courtyard of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory facing one another in a square configuration. Visitors are encouraged to walk around and in between the works, taking in the whole fantasy-like experience.
Haas states, “Whether I’m working in painting, sculpture, or film, what fascinates me is the idea of transformation. Through the Four Seasons, I am re-contextualizing the world of classical Renaissance portraiture using the transformative elements of scale, material, and dimensionality, thereby altering the viewer’s perspective.”
The New York Botanical Garden Chief Executive Officer and The William C. Steere Sr. President Gregory Long states, “We are thrilled to present Philip Haas’s remarkable Four Seasons here at The New York Botanical Garden. This body of work is ideal for the garden as it speaks to the present, while reflecting on the past. The contemporary forms rooted in the history of art will resonate not only with our core audience but also those passionate about contemporary art.”
Who’s excited for our Philip Haas sculptures?
March 12, 2013
Environmental Expo Coming to MoMA PS1
The Museum of Modern Art’s PS1 outpost in Long Island City is about to become a bit more environmentally conscious, thanks to an upcoming collaboration of concerned artists, economists, ecologists, architects, and thinkers at large. Their goal? To address through art and interaction the challenges faced by our civilization—and the natural world around it—as we barrel along.
According to the curator, MoMA’s Klaus Biesenbach, “EXPO 1: New York focuses on some of the most pressing issues of the day set against a backdrop of economic and socio-political concerns that have made a dramatic impact on daily life.”
Between interactive art installations, film viewings, lectures, architectural presentations, and more, this exhibition looks to prove timely in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. And as it runs from May 12 through September 2, there’s no excuse for missing out—just hop on the G train. Click through for more on scheduling, participants, and additional information. —MN
February 26, 2013
The Orchid Show opens this Saturday, March 2, here at the NYBG. And while each of our thousands of orchids will be very much bright and lively for the extent of the show, I figured you could use some tragic beauty for this particular Tuesday in February. —MN
Decaying Orchid was shot by Billy Kidd.
(via darklamb)
February 10, 2013
If this doesn’t get you excited for the Orchid Show, I don’t know how to help you. Bring on the orchids! ~AR
Ernst Haeckel, Orchidae, 1904
February 2, 2013
For this exhibition of monumental sculptures, Spanish artist Manolo Valdés has been guided by nature: the Garden’s celebrated plant collections, the changing seasons, and the Garden’s landscape with its imposing and dramatic vistas.
Manolo Valdés at the New York Botanical Garden, NYC.
January 29, 2013
As with rare animals or narcotics, the flower trade has—at points throughout history—proven both provocative and more than a little shady. This was definitely a “thing” way before Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief tore back the veil on plant poaching. —MN
Tulip Trading…..
Flora, the Goddess of Flowers, is depicted in the painting Flora’s Wagon of Fools by Hendrik Gerritsz Pot (1640). Tulip traders referred to the tulip-trading phenomena as “windhandel” (wind trade), so named for the mania associated with the coveted tulip bulb because the bulbs never actually changed “hands” ~ they merely changed “ownership.”
Flora’s tulips are of the striped variety, the most coveted tulips of the day. The term “Tulip-break” was coined at this time when solid-colored tulips “broke with stripes,” in that the petals had highly unusual flame and feather patterns. (In actuality, the bulbs were infested with a virus transmitted by aphids which caused the striping.)
The painting depicts Flora on the throne of a wind-powered wagon with a tulip-flag mounted on the carriage behind her. The monks riding in the wagon have tulips sprouting from their caps, like the horns of a devil, while the merchants and aristocrats clamor to make themselves a part of the tulip trade, which was nothing short of a medieval “get-rich-quick” scheme. The wind-powered wagon is driven into the sea, with the speculators following blindly to their demise. Defective tulip bulbs containing a virus almost caused the collapse of Holland’s economy in the 1630’s.
“Toxic assets” have come and gone throughout history, because the lust for wealth at any cost prevails in human nature.
January 28, 2013
January 26, 2013
Some of the photos captured by Andrew Zuckerman, including a pristine shot of Darwin’s star orchid, were taken right here at The New York Botanical Garden. You can find all of them in his new book, Flower.
You’ll also see our friend the jade vine at the bottom. Its red cousin dominated the spotlight in December, but come March and April you’ll be seeing seafoam blooms in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. —MN
Andrew Zuckerman - Flower
Click on each image to see the name.
(via ohgoodnesssweetpea)
January 9, 2013
Love seeing botanical garden-inspired art. ~AR
Observational plant sketch made at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
January 8, 2013
Do you love old botanical prints? The digital collections of NYBG’s Mertz Library has thousands that you can browse online. The grandaddy resource for prints of this sort is the BHL or Biodiversity Heritage Library and their excellent Flickr sets. The BHL is an official digital partner of ours and you will find tons of images from our collections amongst theirs. These prints are perfect for the short days of winter when all you can do is daydream about next spring’s beautiful blooms. ~AR
Hand-colored prints from the Minneapolis Institute of Art, 18th-20th century.
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Artist Philip Haas installation of the Four Seasons in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory Courtyard at the NYBG (New York Botanical Garden)....
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