Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art
The world’s first public gallery dedicated to classic and contemporary botanical art.
This unique collection of botanical art celebrates the beauty of nature in exquisite scientific detail – from an age before photography until the present day.
The gallery captures the endless variety of artistic responses to plants and fungi, displaying items from Kew’s archive of 200,000 botanical images alongside the contemporary collection of Dr Shirley Sherwood.
Since its opening in 2008 the gallery has hosted almost 60 exhibitions with works by many important artists such as Margaret Mee, Rory McEwen, Rebecca Louise Law and Chihuly, as well as paintings from Japan, Brazil, Spain, South Africa, the US and Australia.
Marc Quinn: Light into Life
4 May to 29 September 2024
See brand-new and existing works by leading contemporary artist Marc Quinn at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery this summer as part of this brand new, Kew-wide exhibition.
Forecourt Herbarium
This new piece is a reinterpretation of Kew’s seven million-strong collection of preserved plant specimens. Touring the Herbarium, Quinn was astonished by the number of dried plants in the collection- seemingly containing every variety but one: supermarket and petrol station flowers. These cultivated creations speak to the human impulse to create flowers which don’t ordinarily exist in nature.
Human Nature
Another new sculpture, Human Nature depicts a calla lily bouquet created from frozen animal blood, a by-product of abattoir processing which is bought and sold in the same way as countless other products. It reflects on the commodification and consumption of the natural world, with the elegant end products we consume frequently belying the destruction required to produce them.
Other works
Accompanying these new sculptures are a selection of existing artworks, many of which explore the idea of nature as a fundamental part of humanity, a prominent focus of Marc Quinn’s practice since the 1990s.
Also in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, a new exhibition in Gallery Six includes a selection of works from The Shirley Sherwood Collection, featuring botanical paintings co-curated by Dr Sherwood and Marc Quinn, alongside a selection of Marc Quinn’s drawings.
These works reflect the plants which have inspired the artworks integral to Light into Life, including orchids, lilies, bonsai and coconut palms.
Visiting the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art
Nearest entrance
Victoria Gate. The Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art is located near the Temperate House.
Price
Included with entry to the Gardens.
Opening times
Daily, 10am* to 5pm
The Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art will be closing early on 1 August with last admission at 3pm.
We may occasionally need to close attractions for maintenance or visitor safety: check for planned closures and visitor notices before you visit.
*The Shirley Sherwood Gallery will open later at 12pm on the first Monday of every month for maintenance.
Accessibility
We want everyone to have an enjoyable time at Kew, so we aim to provide accessibility support across the Gardens.
The Shirley Sherwood Gallery has a ramp to enter the gallery and is fully accessible by wheelchair. Electric wheelchairs are also permitted, although size limitations may apply.
Given the layout of the installations within the current exhibition, we are unable to accommodate mobility scooters or buggies. We are happy to provide a wheelchair for those wishing to visit who may have come in a mobility scooter.
Useful information
We ask you to follow the recommended route through the gallery to help us protect our precious artworks.
Please leave buggies in the buggy park provided.
A renaissance in botanical art
The art of botanical illustration dates back to the 15th century, when herbals (books describing the culinary and medicinal uses of plants) were printed containing illustrations of flowers. In the 16th century, as printing techniques advanced and new plants came to Europe, wealthy individuals and botanic gardens began to commission artists to record them.
Botanical art has since become vital for scientific records, because it can reveal more detail than a photograph.
For 30 years Dr Shirley Sherwood has been collecting contemporary botanical illustrations to champion their scientific and aesthetic merit.
Since 1990, her collection has grown into a comprehensive catalogue of over 1,000 paintings and drawings by more than 300 artists living in 36 countries around the world.
Now displayed alongside classic botanical art, Sherwood’s incredible collection charts the emergence of a new wave of botanical painting – a renaissance in scientific art.
Discover more botanical art at Kew
Marianne North Gallery
How to be a botanical artist
