SAATCHI GALLERY TO REOPEN BLOCKBUSTER FLOWERS EXHIBITION
SAATCHI GALLERY TO REOPEN BLOCKBUSTER FLOWERS EXHIBITION FOR A SUMMER SEASON
Responding to popular demand, Saatchi Gallery will reopen FLOWERS – FLORA INCONTEMPORARY ART & CULTURE to the public from 30 May – 31 August. Supported by Cazenove Capital and Buccellati, the exhibition celebrates the extraordinary breadth offlora within both art and culture and explores how flowers have remained a vital and relevant motif throughout history, while continuing to inspire contemporary creativity. Following its criticaly eclaimed spring run, which has seen sold-out weekends and over whelmingly positive visitor feedback, the exhibition reopens on 30 May for an extended summer season. Across two floors and nine major gallery spaces, visitors now have another chance to explore the enduring symbolism and impact of flowers – and their unwavering ability to speak to beauty, memory, emotion, and meaning.
FLOWERS spans a wide array of media – including large-scale installations, fine art, photography, sculpture, fashion, film, literature, and music – offering a multifaceted exploration of the flower as and cultural muse. The exhibition invites visitors of allages to engage, learn and reflect on their personal response to flowers, with each section of the exhibition revealing different instance of flora through art, culture and our everydaylives.
Saatchi Gallery Director Paul Foster comments: “We’ve been overwhelmed by theincredible response to Flowers. Visitor numbers and feedback have been exceptional, withaudiences of all ages sharing feelings of joy, nostalgia, and wonder. We look forward towelcoming new audiences over the summer period, and those returning to enjoy theexhibition again.”
Exhibition Highlights
Greeting visitors at the entrance is Journey of Progress, a monumental 50m² mural byBritish artist Sophie Mess. Spray-painted over nine days along the height of the Gallery’sstairwell, the work is a symbolic meditation on growth, gradually blooming from tranquilblue hues to fiery oranges and yellows, echoing the arc of personal and creativetransformation.
Room 1: ROOTS explores the rich history of artists depicting flowers, from the Renaissanceto the modernist works of the 20th century. Flowers have long been a significant theme inWestern art, with countless examples across genres and centuries. Renaissance artistsblended floral mythology with scientific curiosity to create works of symbolic depth andaccuracy, while Dutch flower painting of the 17th and 18th centuries emphasised bothsymbolism and representational excellence. The 19th- century Arts C Crafts Movementintegrated floral beauty into everyday life through various art forms, and theImpressionists, including Van Gogh, shifted the focus to light and colour. In the 20thcentury, modernist artists moved away from realistic depictions, emphasising instead theemotional impact of flowers. Photography and later movements, such as pop art andconceptual art, further transformed our relationship with flowers, offering new ways toappreciate their significance in both historical and contemporary art.
Room 2: IN FULL BLOOM showcases works by established contemporary artists from thepast 40 years, demonstrating how flowers continue to inspire in the modern age. Over thepast four decades, contemporary art has become increasingly globalised, with ideas andaesthetics flowing freely across borders. Artists worldwide have drawn inspiration from theflora around them and its symbolism. This exhibition room features internationallyrenowned artists, each exploring the possibilities of depicting flowers. While theirtechniques and messages vary, all share a deep admiration for nature and its energy. InFull Bloom highlights the ongoing significance of flowers in contemporary art, whether asan escape from the world’s challenges or as a way to understand our place within it.
Room 3: FLOWERS IN FASHION explores the enduring relationship between flowers andfashion, showcasing how flowers have inspired adornment throughout history, fromancient rituals to modern designs. Featuring jewellery and silverware by Buccellati,renowned for its distinctive style and hand- engraving techniques, the displaydemonstrates how flowers continue to captivate both haute couture and high-streetfashion. Flowers have long been used to enhance beauty and express vitality, energy, andyouth. Here, we see how floral motifs continue to inspire contemporary fashion, withdesigners like Vivienne Westwood and Mary Ǫuant using the body as a canvas, whileartists like Daniel The Gardener merge fashion with “living art” through tattoos. Read moreabout this section here.
Room 4: FLOWERS IN PHOTOGRAPHY AND SCULPTURE features contemporary photographers and sculptors, capturing moments of beauty in two and three dimensions. Over 30 internationally renowned photographers, including Pedro Almodóvar, Valérie Belin, and Vik Muniz, present diverse floral imagery, from landscapes to studio settings. Their work ranges from homage to art history to bold subversion.
On the floor, sculptural representations of flora are created using techniques from traditional wood carving to modern 3D printing. This contrast between photography andsculpture invites viewers to reflect on how each medium approaches the same subject. This collection, co-organised by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography (FEP), wasoriginally curated as Flora Imaginaria by Danaé Panchaud and William Ewing.
Room 5 is a stunning 2,000 sq ft gallery entirely dedicated to LA FLEUR MORTE, an awe-inspiring, bespoke installation by internationally renowned artist Rebecca Louise Law. Thisimmersive work features over 100,000 dried flowers, creating a breathtaking space forvisitors to explore and contemplate.
La Fleur Morte delves into the space between life and death, memorialising nature throughflowers. By using the “dead flower” as her sculptural material, Law examines our capitalistculture and our insatiable desire for more. Since 2003, she has collected flowers from thecommercial flower industry, donations from gardens worldwide, and even grows her own,ensuring nothing is wasted. The installation invites reflection on our human connection tothe earth, with each flower representing a deeper appreciation for nature.
Law believes in the spiritual connection that occurs within her work, which engagesviewers and local community groups to foster a shared sense of belonging to somethinggreater. Known for creating immersive, site-specific pieces, Law’s work spans Europe andthe USA, using materials from her vast 20-year archive alongside locally sourceddonations. Her installations encourage a profound, collective appreciation of nature and our place within it.
Room 6: FLOWERS IN MUSIC, FILM, AND LITERATURE highlights the role of flowers as symbolsand motifs across these different media. A wall of vinyl records displays floral themes onalbum covers over the past 50 years, while separate sections explore how flowers serve asmeaningful metaphors in film and literature.
Flowers often appear on book covers, conveying emotions like love or mysticism, and inchildren’s literature, they evoke adventure and wonder. In music, flowers on album coversenhance the emotional impact, reinforcing the artist’s message. In film, flowers createunforgettable imagery, from their dreamy presence in The Wizard of Oz to their symbolicroles in American Beauty, Midsommar, and The Wicker Man.
Room 7: MIGUEL CHEVALIER, EXTRA-NATURAL is a generative and interactive virtual reality installation, bringing virtual flowers and plants to life across 70 square metres whileinteracting with visitors’ movements. Extra-Natural presents a lush, virtual garden thatblends dream and reality, filled with imaginary plants—luminescent, fluid, and vibrant.Using algorithms, Chevalier creates a dynamic environment where plants grow, bloom,and fade in endless cycles. The garden constantly evolves, with plants responding tomovements through infrared sensors, undulating and shifting in a graceful, poetic dance.This interactive installation invites reflection on the fragility of nature and the urgent need to preserve biodiversity, creating a new symbiosis between humans and the environment.
Room 8: SCIENCE: LIFE OR DEATH. In collaboration with the Chelsea Physic Garden, this room explores the scientific aspects of flowers, highlighting their medicinal and poisonousproperties, as well as the mathematical principles behind natural floral phenomena. Theinfluence of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is also explored, along with a collection ofstunning botanical illustrations from the Schroder Collection, showing the meticulousbreeding and development of orchids in the 20th century. Contemporary artworkscomplement the display, leading to the conclusion with Worlds Within Worlds, a newlycommissioned film by Floral Designer and Spatial Artist, Tom de Houwer.
Room 9: NEW SHOOTS presents vibrant artworks by emerging and early-career artists,showcasing a wide range of styles, approaches, and media. Like walking through a secretgarden, the space is filled with blooming works, many created in recent months andshown for the first time. It highlights how contemporary artists continue to draw inspirationfrom flowers, using them to capture beauty, vitality, light, symbolism, and to explorethemes of life, mortality, and human nature. Many pieces are available for sale, with detailsprovided in the Gallery Shop. New Shoots offers a snapshot of the current artistic landscape, demonstrating that the influence of flowers remains a rich source of creativity.
Featured artists include:
Cristina Alcantara, Pedro Almodóvar, Nobuyoshi Araki, Nick Archer, Gillian Ayres, JessicaBackhaus, Mandy Barker, Brendan Barry, Susan Beech, Valérie Belin, Andy Bettles, ElizabethBlackadder, John Blakemore, Jean Baptiste Bosschaert, Faye Bridgwater, Orlanda Broom,Buccellati, Olga Cafiero, Ann Carrington, Rob C Nick Carter, Miguel Chevalier, Christo, PhilipColbert, Lottie Cole, Stephanie Comilang, Sharon Core, Michael Craig-Martin, ReubenDangoor, Lia Darjes, William Darrell, Tom de Houwer, Richard de Tscharner, Elspeth Diederix,Jim Dine, Nathalie Djurberg C Hans Berg, Ron van Dongen, Xuebing Du, Elaine Duigenan,Pamela Ellis Hawkes, Ruud van Empel, Joanna Epstein, Mary Fedden, Robert Frank, Anne vonFreyburg, Erwan Frotin, Adam Fuss, Matthieu Gafsou, Kate Gibb, Grace Gillespie, SkyGlabush, Daniel Gordon, Maro Gorky, Roberto Greco, Jo Grogan, Anna Halm Schudel,Joanna Ham, Rose Electra Harris, Dan Hays, George Henry, Realf Heygate, Damien Hirst, Aimée Hoving, Gary Hume, Florence Hutchings, Mila Ilingina, Yinka Ilori, Michelle Jung, NadavKander, Heath Kane, Sandra Kantanen, Neil Kellerhouse, Rob Kesseler, Kior Ko, Jan SebastianKoch, Irene Küng, Wole Lagunju, Caroline Larsen, Rebecca Louise Law, David Lebe, LauraLetinsky, Kathrin Linkersdorff, Brigitte Lustenberger, Mari Mahr, Martin Maloney, AnnMandelbaum, Tony Matelli, Margaret Mellis, Sophie Mess, Ally McIntyre, AnastasijaMichailova, Andrew Millar, Banita Mistry, Carmen Mitrotta, Abelardo Morell, William Morris,Alphonse Mucha, Vik Muniz, Galina Munroe, Takashi Murakami, Winifred Nicholson, JessePollock, Janet Pulcho, Stormy Pyeatte, Marc Ǫuinn, Dan Rawlings, Marcel Rickli, AlmudenaRomero, Paul Rousteau, Andrew Salgado, Frederick Sander, Viviane Sassen, Thirza Schaap,Schiaparelli, Helene Schmitz, Martin Schoeller, Megan Seiter, Amy Shelton, Ann Shelton, David Shrigley, Niki Simpson, Chieska Smith, Leonard “Soldier” Iheagwam, Rudolf Steiner,Holly Stevenson, Florent Stosskopf, Daniel The Gardener, Rebecca Thomas, MimeiThompson, Miriam Tölke, VOYDER, Robert Walker, Tim Walker, Tom Wesselmann, VivienneWestwood, Jo Whaley, Jess Wilson, Emma Witter, Kasia Wozniak, Nadirah Zakariya, ChristinaZimpel, Victoria Zschommler, Andrew Zuckerman
Curatorial project partners include:
Chelsea Physic Garden, Cinema Poster Gallery, The Foundation for the Exhibition ofPhotography (FEP), Marimekko, Mary Ǫuant Limited, Sanderson Design Group includingMorris C Co., William Morris Gallery
Dates
Open to the public: 30 May – 31 August
Saatchi Lates: 13 June, 27 June, 4 July, 8 August, 5 September
Spaces
FLOWERS occupies both the first and second floors of the Gallery.
Admission
This is a ticketed exhibition. Walk-ins are welcome but pre-booking is advised. Tickets canbe booked online from 10 December at saatchigallery.com. Tickets start at £10.
Social Media
Join the discussion about the exhibition online with #SaatchiGalleryFlowers
Instagram: @saatchi_gallery TikTok, X: @saatchi_gallery Facebook: @saatchigalleryofficial
School visits & Community groups
With the generous support of all our patrons, for each major exhibition, there areopportunities for students and community groups to engage in creative projects andworkshops. For more details, visit www.saatchigallery.com/learning or call +44 (0) 20 78113087.
About Saatchi Gallery
Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts thousands of school visits annually and has over 6 million followers on social media. In 2019 Saatchi Gallery became a registered charity, beginning a new chapter in its history.
Registered Charity Number: 1182328 | Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Rd, Chelsea, London SW3 4RY
About Cazenove Capital
Cazenove Capital is a leading provider of personalised wealth management services to ultra- high-net-worth and high-net-worth clients, family offices and trusts. As well as discretionary and advisory investment services, we offer wider wealth management services such as advice on philanthropy and impact investment, wealth planning, cash management, deposit-taking and lending.
As the UK’s largest manager of charitable assets, our charity team provides a range of specialised services to a wide range of endowments, foundations and other charity clients. We also work in partnership with financial advisers to provide discretionary fund management to their clients.
Cazenove Capital is a subsidiary of Schroders plc, a major FTSE 100 company. The Schroder family still own a significant percentage of the company, having founded it over 200 years ago. This enables us to take a long-term view and to continue investing in our people, systems and services to deliver the high standards that we set of ourselves and that our clients expect of us.
For more information on our ultra-high and high-net-worth business in the UK, please visit cazenovecapital.com.
About Buccellati
Buccellati is a renowned high-jewelry and silverware Maison, admired for its craftmanship and the uniqueness of its creations. Distinctive is the use of rare stones with extraordinary colors, mixed with white and yellow gold, all nicely carved like laces. Today, the Buccellati jewels stand out for their design and for the techniques used to create them, such as the hand-engraving technique, dating back to the ancient goldsmithing traditions of the Italian “bottega” during the Renaissance times. The shapes of the collections are all inspired the historical archive drawings and by the very first creations of the founder, Mario Buccellati. Today, the Maison is 100% owned by Richemont, but the Buccellati family is still present in the company with top level managerial functions. Buccellati boutiques are present in the most important cities and in the most prestigious Malls of the world.
About The Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography
An independent non-profit organization, The Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography (FEP) produces unique and influential museum-quality photography exhibitions and circulates them around the world. The Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography (Minneapolis/Paris/Lausanne) aims to enlighten, delight, and inspire people around the world through the presentation of photography exhibitions, publications, related online content, symposia, lectures, and other forms of educational events and materials. Founded in 2003, FEP is based in Minneapolis, a city with a vibrant tradition of support for the arts. The organization has achieved substantial results in its first two decades, with shows travelling to 35 countries on 4 continents, and with catalogues produced in many different languages.
