Close-up of various colorful flowers from the oil painting Still-Life with Flowers, painted by Rachel Ruysch. — Still-Life with Flowers, Rachel Ruysch. Photo: the Hallwyl Museum/SHM (CC BY).

6 May 2021 - 22 August 2021

The Flowers are in Bloom Again!

Floral painting flourished in seventeenth-century Dutch art like never before. Rare flowers were in vogue and there was a great demand for flower paintings. The flowers were depicted with great attention to detail. “See it for yourself” was the buzzword of the time.

Blooming female artistry

In the mini-exhibition The Flowers are in Bloom Again!, Rachel Ruysch and Catharina Backer were highlighted in an in-depth study of a spirit of the times in which women’s art, collecting and scientific research flourished in a world that became increasingly globalised via trade and shipping. The exhibition also displayed works by Ambrosius Bosschaert the elder and Pieter Faes from the Hallwyl Museum’s permanent collection.

Photo: Jonathan Elbaz, the Hallwyl Museum/SHM (CC BY)

Artists explored nature via magnifying glasses

The 17th century art scene in the Netherlands was a time of unprecedented artistic diversity and production of the highest class. Botany seems to have appealed to many women. Female artists, researchers and collectors were learned women in their own right. Floral painters Rachel Ruysch and Catharina Backer represent two different paths into the art world. Rachel Ruysch was a professional artist. Catharina Backer was an amateur artist.

Shown on the first floor

The exhibition was presented on the first floor in a room that usually displays Wilhelmina von Hallwyl’s collection of weapons.

Thousands and thousands of beads

Amanda Danielsson presented sculptures made out of beads and metal. The exhibition was arranged in collaboration with Inuti, a foundation dedicated to working with artistically gifted individuals with intellectual disabilities.

The work was in collaboration with the organization Insidan.

Närbild på blommorna i vasen som är gjorda av pärlor.

Photo: Jonathan Elbaz, the Hallwyl Museum/SHM (CC BY)