Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) is one of the most important naturalists as well as one of the most renowned artists of her time. 2017 marked the 300th anniversary of the Frankfurt-born artist's death. To mark the occasion, the Städel Museum is presenting the special exhibition "Maria Sibylla Merian and the Tradition of Flower Painting" from 11 October 2017 to 14 January 2018. On view is the fascinating and intricate world of flower and plant depiction in drawings and prints from the 15th to 18th centuries.
The exhibition, developed in collaboration with the Kupferstichkabinett of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, presents important works by Maria Sibylla Merian framed by depictions of flowers by her predecessors, contemporaries and successors, including the famous "Hortus Eystettensis" by the Nuremberg apothecary Basilius Besler (1561-1629), ornamental engravings by Martin Schongauer (ca. 1445-1491), apothecary books from the 15th and 16th centuries, plant studies from the circle of Albrecht Dürer as well as nature studies by Georg Flegel (1566-1638) and Georg Hoefnagel (1542-1600/01) from the time around 1600. Furthermore, flower drawings by Bartholomäus Braun as well as flower compositions by Barbara Regina Dietzsch (1706-1783) and her circle from the 18th century can be seen. "Maria Sibylla Merian and the Tradition of Flower Painting" presents a total of over 150 works, in addition to sheets from the collections of the Städel and the Berlin Kupferstichkabinett (Museum of Prints and Drawings), as well as valuable loans from the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the Saxon State and University Library in Dresden, the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, and the Johann Christian Senckenberg University Library in Frankfurt.
(Source: Städel Museum Frankfurt)
Image: Maria Sibylla Merian, Bush rose with leaf miner, larva and pupa, 1679, Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Further information:
http://www.staedelmuseum.de/en/maria-sibylla-merian
