Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature
January 26 – April 28, 2024
This January, the Gibbes Museum of Art will be the inaugural United States venue for the international exhibition Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature. Presented in association with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (London) and Oak Spring Garden Foundation, the exhibition and its related programming will highlight the vibrant and varied career of the renowned Scottish artist and accomplished folk musician, Rory McEwen.
Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature is focused on McEwen’s hyper-realistic watercolor paintings of plants. Bringing a modern sensibility to botanical art, McEwen developed a distinctive style, painting on vellum and using large empty backgrounds on which his plant portraits seem to float. Executed in exact, minutely accurate detail, he recorded the imperfect and the unique, as well as the flawless. McEwen’s work is shown alongside the works of master botanical artists from the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
In conjunction with Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature, the Gibbes Museum of Art will be holding exhibition-related programming throughout the show’s time on view.
New Perspectives on Rory McEwen: A Symposium, Friday, January 26, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Join Sir Peter Crane, president of Oak Springs Garden Foundation, Richard Deverell, director of Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, exhibition curator Ruth Stiff and Christabel and Flora McEwen for a morning of lively discussions exploring Rory McEwen’s distinctive contemporary style and his life and impact on the botanical art scene on both sides of the Atlantic. Click here for tickets and information.
The Gibbes Goes Green Family Day, Sunday, February 25, 1:00 – 5:00 pm
Join the Gibbes and community partners working with plants and the Lowcountry environment as we celebrate all things botanical. Inspired by Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature, families of all ages will have the opportunity to experience exhibitions and other ongoing special events.
Harvard Glass Flowers, Thursday, April 25, 11:00 am
Inspired by the exhibition Rory McEwen, which features the artist’s extraordinary large scale, botanical paintings, the Gibbes welcomes Jennifer Brown, the collections manager of Harvard’s iconic Blaschka Glass Flowers Collection. This unique collection was made by Leopold (1822-1895) and Rudolf Blaschka (1857-1939), a father and son team of Czech glass artists. Brown will discuss the collection’s significance, origins, and one-of-a-kind specimens for Charleston audiences. Click here for tickets and information.
-Submitted by The Gibbes Museum