- December 10, 2015
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The north gallery features four silkscreen prints, as well as early and later works by the artist from the 1950s through 1980s that focus on floral imagery. Photo courtesy of Selby Gardens/Matthew Holler
In the first gallery, guests encounter photography of Andy Warhol immersed in nature, including boating and skiing. Photo courtesy of Selby Gardens/Matthew Holler
A transition room chronicles Warhol’s work and the cultural attitudes of the mid-1960s when Warhol worked in New York City at his famed “Factory.” Photo courtesy of Selby Gardens/Matthew Holler
A large flower grid greets guests upon entering the conservatory. Photo by Niki Kottmann
An 82-foot-long wall of bromeliads reaches nearly 10 feet high, creating a dynamic display of repeating colors and textures in the glass house conservatory. Photo by Niki Kottmann
The "warwall" is perched behind a photo of hundreds of silk screen prints spread on the floor of Warhol's factory in New York. Photo by Niki Kottmann
An 82-foot-long wall of bromeliads reaches nearly 10 feet high, creating a dynamic display of repeating colors and textures in the glass house conservatory. Photo by Niki Kottmann
Impatiens in red, purple, pink, orange and white fill white cubes that appear throughout the grounds, continuing the stylized themes of repetition, grids and color. Photo by Niki Kottmann
Guests can see a "reflection" of the bromeliad wall on the other side that was actually created by placing different plants on the opposite side to make a mirror effect. Photo by Niki Kottmann
Oversize, fabricated hibiscus flowers provide a colorful, waterfront scene that celebrates nature as art. Photo by Niki Kottmann
Oversize, fabricated hibiscus flowers provide a colorful, waterfront scene that celebrates nature as art. Photo by Niki Kottmann
Tillandsia plants are integrated into a floating, colorful frame. Photo by Niki Kottmann
Tillandsia plants are integrated into a floating, colorful frame. Photo by Niki Kottmann
A display of a variety of Madagascar periwinkle are planted in the shape of daisy flowers – an image often featured in Warhol’s work – overlook Sarasota Bay. Photo by Niki Kottmann
A display of a variety of Madagascar periwinkle are planted in the shape of daisy flowers – an image often featured in Warhol’s work – overlook Sarasota Bay. Photo by Niki Kottmann
The name “Andy Warhol” conjures plenty of bold, colorful images, but the subjects of said images tend to be the reflections of American consumerism that made him famous.
Starting Sunday, Feb. 11, visitors to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens can get a sense of the lesser-known — yet equally vibrant — side of Warhol: the nature lover.
“Land really is the best art,” Andy Warhol once said, as Selby President/CEO Jennifer Rominiecki told media preview attendees viewing the garden’s latest exhibit, “Warhol: Flowers in the Factory,” Feb. 8.
Warhol created more than 10,000 images of flowers throughout his career, and Selby now has six of those original floral prints on display at the Payne Mansion until June 30.
Also on display in the mansion are reproductions of archival photos of Warhol himself and the polaroid “Christmas Poinsettias” that inspired the prints on view, lithographs “Flower” and “Happy Bug Day” and a book the artist created entitled “In the Bottom of My Garden.”
The two other components of the exhibit are the grounds of the gardens along with the conservatory, which have been transformed into a “floral playground” reflecting the iconic artist’s creative style.
Throughout the run of the exhibit, garden visitors can go to the conservatory to view epiphytic plants displayed as living art in scenes that evoke Warhol’s artistic tendencies. Examples of this include rows upon rows of strategically planted species that depict his affinity for repetition and grid formats.
In the center of it all is what Rominiecki calls the “Warwall,” which spans the entire southern wall of the green house. It contains a grid of 600 bromeliad plants, which she says is the largest known display of bromeliads in the world.
The Selby grounds also reflect the artist’s playful, vivacious creative sensibilities with several potted displays arranged as a grid, along with colorful installations along the bayfront.
For more information on the exhibit, click here.
