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The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and Saatchi Gallery continue their partnership and will present the 2023 RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show this June.
Following the success of the 2021 and 2022 editions, the annual exhibition will return this Summer and showcase new work from leading botanical artists and photographers across three galleries.
Entries for the show have been through a meticulous pre-selection process, where the scientific accuracy, technical skill and aesthetic appeal of the work are reviewed by an expert judging panel prior to the show opening, with artists and photographers awarded RHS Gold, Silver-Gilt, Silver, and Bronze medals, as well as a series of special awards including ‘Best Botanical Art Exhibit’ and ‘Judge’s Special Award’.
In 2023, a diverse range of subjects will be presented by participants from around the world. Artists depict plants of ecological importance including English seaweed and Scottish lichens, Australian Algae, endangered plants of Korea, and wildflowers of Greece. Heritage garden blooms are also featured, sitting together with pictures of fabulous fruit and medicinal herbs.
New photography entries in 2023 include works from amateur photographers as well as returning medal-winning exhibitors. The portfolios this year depict a range of photographic styles and chosen subjects ranging from RHS garden landscapes to the gardeners found working in quiet unity within the temple gardens of Kyoto.
Former Gold medal-winning exhibitors will also show their work alongside artists participating in the 2023 exhibition for the first time.
Last year’s award-winning exhibits included the exceptional ‘Rosulate Violas of the Patagonian Andes’ by Nigel Pickering, which gained a post-humous award for Best Botanical Art Exhibit. The award for Best Botanical Artwork was presented to Yoko Harada for her stunning watercolour of Arisaema thunbergii subsp. urashima, and the Judges’ Special Award was given to Mitsuko Kurashina for her memorable depictions of ‘tsunami plants’.
For portfolio photography, the award for Best in Show 2022 was won by Paul Mitchell for his exhibit ‘Portraits of Time’.
The show is a highlight in the calendar of the RHS Lindley Library, complementing its extensive collection of botanical artworks, photographs and illustrations which include more than 30,000 works.
Charlotte Brooks, Art Curator at the RHS, “We are very excited to be going into our third year in partnership with the Saatchi Gallery. There is such a wealth of emerging and established talent in the worlds of botanical art and garden photography. It is our pleasure to present new exhibits in these prestigious galleries and help raise the profile of artists and photographers from across the globe.”
Helena Pettit, RHS Director of Shows and Gardens, “We are thrilled to be partnering once again with Saatchi Gallery to showcase diverse and wonderful pieces of art and photography that really champion the beauty of gardening.”
British artist Sarah Jane Humphrey explains, “Mind bending hours have gone into my illustration, I am so looking forward to revealing the final piece to visitors.“
Paul Foster, Director at Saatchi Gallery, “This historic show has become an annual highlight at Saatchi Gallery – the artist’s extraordinary technical skill, meticulous processes, and wide international diversity continues to inspire and delight our visitors.”
- On view 16 June – 9 July 2023. Tickets available to book now: saatchigallery.com/tickets
Entry is free for RHS and Saatchi Gallery members.
- New shortlisted finalists, competing internationally, present the world’s best botanical drawings and photographs.
- 2023 highlights include botanical drawings of ecologically important plants, alongside short-listed portfolio photography exhibits selected from a range of amateur and professional photographers.
The RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show is supported by Riverstone Living.
