Marianne North, English botanical artist is the subject of a new book by Michelle Payne published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

MARIANNE NORTH A Very Intrepid Painter 

By Michelle Payne 

MARIANNE NORTH was an English naturalist and remarkable botanical artist who traveled to more than a dozen countries in the course of more than a decade spent painting the tropical and exotic plants of the world. Despite having no formal artistic training and a rather unconventional technique, North documented her subjects in situ with a scientific accuracy that continues to impress botanists today. More than eight hundred of her detailed, brightly colored paintings are displayed in Kew’s Marianne North Gallery, which was built under her patronage and opened in 1882. 

Fully illustrated and including a stunning eight-page fold-out, Marianne North: A Very Intrepid Painter provides an overview of North's spirited work, life, and travels as well as a concise history of the popular gallery—newly restored and refurbished—where almost all her paintings hang. The Marianne North Gallery is among Kew’s finest attractions, and this exquisite volume captures its magic to perfection.

Michelle Payne holds an MA in twentieth-century literature awarded by Goldsmiths College, University of London. She is a production editor at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 

Published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Distributed by the University of Chicago Press

Publication Date: May 1, 2011  

96 pages, 130 color plates 

978-1-84246-430-4 - $17.00 - paper 

www.press.uchicago.edu

Aubrey Beardsley Centennial Exhibition, Princeton University Library

Aubrey Beardsley Centennial Exhibition

Princeton University Library

Through January 7, 1999

The Princeton University Library is currently commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of the Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (1872-1898), the celebrated English artist and book illustrator, with an exhibition in the Leonard L. Milberg Gallery for the Graphic Arts, Harvey S. Firestone Memorial Library.

The exhibition draws on the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections’ unrivaled Beardsley holdings, including original drawings, posters, photographs, correspondence, literary manuscripts, illustrated books, memorabilia, and other materials. Most of these materials were donated to the Princeton University Library a half-century ago by A.E. (Albert Eugene) Gallatin (1881-1952), the American artist, art critic, art historian, and collector. Gallatin’s gift was supplemented by materials from the J. Harlin O’Connell Collection of the 1890s and by other gifts. With 125 original drawings, Princeton can boast the finest Beardsley collection in the world.

Aubrey Beardsley’s brilliant but controversial work was emblematic of the English fin-de-siecle. This most literary of artists was much influenced by the pre-Raphaelites, Japanese woodblock printmakers, and contemporary French writers. But he was more than the sum of influences, developing a unique artistic vision that was bold and original despite its eclecticism. Through his drawings and writings, he became the leading exponent of a British movement referred to by its detractors as "decadent," much as was Oscar Wilde in literature. 

While Aubrey Beardsley only lived to age 25 and is closely associated with the 1890s, he had a profound influence on visual arts and book illustration for decades. Among the nearly 100 items on exhibit are original drawings, first editions, and other materials pertaining to Beardsley’s contributions to Sir Thomas Mallory’s Le Morte Darthur (1893-94), Oscar Wilde’s Salome (1894), The Yellow Book (1894-95), The Savoy (1896-97), and The Lysistrata of Aristophanes (1896) and other illustrations published by Leonard Smithers. Also included are portraits of Aubrey Beardsley by such contemporary artists as Sir William Rothenstein and Max Beerbohm.

The exhibition is curated by Mark Samuels Lasner, author of Selective Checklist of the Published Work of Aubrey Beardsley (1995); and Don C. Skemer, Curator of Manuscripts.

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

www.princeton.edu