Blooms: Floral Art in the Stark Collections

This exhibition focuses on the flower as an inspiration for the visual arts. Blooms: Floral Art in the Stark Collections explores flowering beauty as expressed in works of art from early botanical books to exuberant still-life paintings.

The exhibition includes hand-colored prints in rare books such as Robert Thornton’s The Temple of Flora Pierre and Pierre Joseph Redouté’s Les Roses. Decorative arts such as porcelain floral arrangements by the Royal Worcester Porcelain Company and engraved glass by H.P. Sinclaire reveal the domestication of the floral image. Still life paintings and floral studies by twentieth century artists such as Victor Higgins and Joseph Henry Sharp show the enduring interest in floral imagery. An educational area for children and families offers interactive learning elements such as a matching game, reading area and flower drawing station.