Skip to the content
A teeming array of flowers including pink carnations and blue irises arranged in a vase against a muted green background A teeming array of flowers including pink carnations and blue irises arranged in a vase against a muted green background

Paulus Theodorus van Brussel, 1754 – 1795 Flowers in a Vase, 1789 (detail) © The National Gallery, London.

Paulus Theodorus van Brussel, 1754 – 1795 Flowers in a Vase, 1789 (detail) © The National Gallery, London.

Dutch Flower Paintings: Exploring Art in Bloom

Thu 22 June - Sun 17 September 2023

Millennium Gallery

Teeming with beauty, colour and life, Dutch flower painting enraptured an age. These popular studies blossomed throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, combining meticulous technique and rich detail with abundant, often fantastical compositions.

 

This exhibition brought ten of the finest examples of Dutch flower painting from the National Gallery to Sheffield for the first time. Works by Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, Rachel Ruysch and Jan van Huysum went on display alongside examples from Sheffield’s own collection. Showcasing the developments in the style, the paintings spanned flat botanical observations through to dazzling, vibrant compositions.

Dutch Flower Paintings included a series of modern and contemporary floral works by artists such as Duncan Grant, Cedric Morris and Anne Redpath, on loan from the Jerwood Collection, alongside contemporary works by Paul Morrison and Jason Brooks. The exhibition also featured a new commission by Sheffield-based artist, Kedisha Coakley exploring the links between the historic flower trade and empire, as well as range of family-friendly activities.

 

Exhibition organised by the National Gallery, London, with Sheffield Museums.

 

National Gallery logo

This exhibition has now closed

Millennium Gallery

Arundel Gate

Sheffield

S1 2PP

A teeming array of flowers including pink carnations and blue irises arranged in a vase against a muted green background

Paulus Theodorus van Brussel, 1754 – 1795 Flowers in a Vase, 1789 (detail)

© The National Gallery, London

Exhibition Highlights

 

 

An arrangement of white, yellow, red, pink and orange flowers in a vase decorated with a blue and white image of a bird in foliage. Next to the vase is a cutting from a plant with a pink flower, a butterfly three shells and some flower petals.

Make an Origami Flower

Learn how to create an origami flower at home inspired by the exhibition.

 

Download instructions here

Plan your visit

Find out everything you need to plan your visit, from getting here to onsite facilities.

Find out more

All Exhibitions & Displays

View all

Events at the Millennium Gallery

View all

Support Us

Sheffield Museums is a charity. Your support helps keep your museums open and free for everyone to enjoy.

Read more

See more next door at the Graves Gallery

Find more exhibitions and display just over the road at the Graves Gallery, home to the city's visual art collection. Open Tue - Sat, free entry.

Find out more