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Analytical Beauty. 200 Years of Flower Paintings
Press release
22.04.2026
Image Credits
Duration
24.04. - 04.10.2026
Opening
23.04.2026 7pm
Press event
22.04.2026 11am - 12pm
Place of the press event
Neue Galerie Graz, Kurt Jungwirth Auditorium
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This exhibition showcases previously unseen floral depictions from the Neue Galerie Graz collection. The exhibition features a variety of motifs, ranging from Biedermeier watercolours and Far Eastern colour woodcuts to contemporary interpretations of floral art. The link between science and art is evident throughout the exhibition, from the systematic pictorial documentation of botany in the form of realistic, detailed plant depictions to the full exploitation of the aesthetic qualities of the floral motif — one of the oldest motifs in art and cultural history.
The emerging natural sciences are particularly evident in the plant depictions of the early 19th century. Interestingly, modern science still favours painted representations of objects because they can reproduce details and contexts much more vividly than photographic processes. However, these depictions' appeal lies in the fact that they stimulate both our 'cool intellect' and our collective 'sense of beauty' in equal measure.
Natural History Museum
Exhibition views
Peter Peer, curator and director of the Neue Galerie Graz
Photo: Universalmuseum Joanneum/J.J. Kucek
Exhibition views "Analytical Beauty"
Photo: Universalmuseum Joanneum/J.J. Kucek
Exhibition views "Analytical Beauty"
Photo: Universalmuseum Joanneum/J.J. Kucek
Exhibition views "Analytical Beauty"
Photo: Universalmuseum Joanneum/J.J. Kucek
Exhibition views "Analytical Beauty"; on the right, the art installation by Suzanne Anker
Photo: Universalmuseum Joanneum/J.J. Kucek
Exhibition views "Analytical Beauty"
Photo: Universalmuseum Joanneum/J.J. Kucek
Exhibition views "Analytical Beauty"
Photo: Universalmuseum Joanneum/J.J. Kucek
Exhibition views "Analytical Beauty"
Photo: Universalmuseum Joanneum/J.J. Kucek
Exhibition views "Analytical Beauty"
Photo: Universalmuseum Joanneum/J.J. Kucek
Ausstellungsansicht "Analytische Schönheit"
Foto: Universalmuseum Joanneum/J.J. Kucek
Exhibition views "Analytical Beauty"
Photo: Universalmuseum Joanneum/J.J. Kucek
Exhibition views "Analytical Beauty"
Photo: Universalmuseum Joanneum/J.J. Kucek
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Images
Unbekannter Künstler Rhododendron – Rote Blüte mit Zweig Aus dem Bestand der Ständischen Zeichnungsakademie
Sammlung Neue Galerie Graz, Foto: Universalmuseum Joanneum/N. Lackner
Johann Knapp Feld- und Alpenblumen in Glasschale, 1810
Sammlung Neue Galerie Graz, Foto: Universalmuseum Joanneum/N. Lackner
Unbekannter Künstler, Drei Tulpen, Aus dem Bestand der Ständischen Zeichnungsakademie
Sammlung Neue Galerie Graz, Foto: Universalmuseum Joanneum/C. Schmaranz
Johann Knapp, Feld- und Alpenblumen in Glasschale, 1811
Sammlung Neue Galerie Graz, Foto: Universalmuseum Joanneum/N. Lackner
Unbekannter Künstler Camellia
Sammlung Neue Galerie Graz, Aus dem Bestand der Ständischen Zeichnungsakademie, Foto: Universalmuseum Joanneum/C. Schmaranz
Johann Peter Krafft, Wasserglas mit Blumen, 1812
Sammlung Neue Galerie Graz, Foto: Universalmuseum Joanneum/N. Lackner
Unbekannter Künstler, Schwertlilie, Aus dem Bestand der Ständischen Zeichnungsakademie
Sammlung Neue Galerie Graz, Foto: Universalmuseum Joanneum/C. Schmaranz
Pauline Halm-Flechner, Verschiedene Rosen, Heckenrosen und Centifolien, ca. 1890
Sammlung Neue Galerie Graz, Foto: Universalmuseum Joanneum/N. Lackner
Vinzenz Kreuzer, Hahnenkamm, 1842 Aus dem Bestand der Ständischen Zeichnungsakademie
Sammlung Neue Galerie Graz, Foto: Universalmuseum Joanneum/N. Lackner
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