On view June 22nd - September 17th
Presence of Plants in Contemporary Art features work by contemporary artists who practice with living plant material. These artworks invoke themes associated with the fragility of life, the impossibility of permanence, and the construction of personal meaning through memory. Rather than using nature as a subject for depiction—as occurs in traditional landscape painting—these artists incorporate and manipulate plant species to help us reflect on the meanings and associations that influence our relationship with the natural world.
Isabella Stewart Gardner constructed her art museum to center horticulture as a ‘living art,’ placing the blooming Courtyard at the heart of her galleries and cultivating numerous species of plants to establish a living collection that still exists today. This exhibition exemplifies the Gardner’s long tradition of interdisciplinary experience by uniting contemporary artistry with its horticultural and garden arts.
While this efflorescent exhibition flourishes at the Museum, shop Gift at the Gardner's blooming collection inspired by Presence of Plants! Browse our carefully curated selection of stylish gardening tools, seed packets, indoor grow kits, artist books, and sustainably made housewares and personal accessories in-store and online!