LONDON, UK (January 2025) – As part of its major spring exhibition FLOWERS – FLORA IN CONTEMPORARY ART & CULTURE supported by Cazenove Capital and Buccellati, Saatchi Gallery is exploring the rich relationship between flowers and fashion. Featuring pieces from the high street to haute couture, the exhibition highlights how flowers have long served as a boundless source of inspiration, aspirational charm, and timeless appeal.
Designers have drawn from flowers for their symbolic meanings, vibrant colours, and intricate textures. Their delicate forms and rich hues influence everything from fabric designs to embroidery, allowing for a seamless blend of artistic expression and wearability. Whether celebrating romanticism or the beauty of the natural world, flowers remain a perennial muse in fashion.
Official supporter Buccellati presents six hyperrealist bejewelled floral brooches, a tribute to the Maison’s stylistic identity across generations. These one-of-a-kind pieces, carefully selected from the Buccellati Historic Collection, include the 1929 Orchid and the 1960s Daisy brooches, both crafted by founder Mario Buccellati, and Gianmaria Buccellati’s 1991 Begonia brooch with matching earrings. The exhibition also features newly unveiled Magnolia flower brooches, reinterpreted by Andrea Buccellati, which showcase sapphires, emeralds, and rubies, and are handcrafted with the Maison's signature "segrinato" engraving - giving the petals a velvety soft texture typical of Buccellati.
Nature also inspires Buccellati’s silverware, and the exhibition includes its renowned flower bowls from the Natura collection—elegant, sophisticated pieces with subtle veins and crinkled petals. Buccellati notes, “The explicit reference to flowers and nature in our creations holds great value. They symbolize rebirth, joy, and the cycle of life, reminding humanity of beauty's fleeting nature. Our designs draw from Renaissance influences and the meticulous botanical observation of Flemish still-life paintings.”
Vivienne Westwood, renowned for her passion for nature and climate activism, also reflects on her love and knowledge of flowers in her designs, blending aesthetics with deeper cultural meaning. Vivienne Westwood have used floral prints and embellishments to explore nature, femininity, and rebellion throughout their collections, often contrasting soft floral elements with a punk or DIY aesthetic. The works featured in the exhibition showcase Westwood’s ability to fuse romanticism with avant-garde style, drawing on historical fashion influences to create a unique fusion of tradition and rebellion.
World-renowned Photographer and Founder and Director of SHOWstudio Nick Knight presents Rose I and Rose II (2012) from his Rose Photo Paintings series, where the plants featured appear to ‘drip’ from the page as a result of heat and water being introduced during the printing process.
Honoring the Gallery’s local ties to fashion, FLOWERS also includes works by Mary Quant, one of the 20th century’s most important British designers who opened her boutique, ‘Bazaar’ on the King’s Road in Chelsea in 1955.
Schiaparelli presents a 2024 Haute Couture wedding dress designed by Daniel Roseberry in white silk taffeta and embellished with three-dimensional hand painted leather hydrangeas, parrot tulips, orchids and daisies. Known for her surrealist approach, Elsa Schiaparelli often used flowers to make bold visual statements. Through innovative techniques such as floral- inspired embroidery and 3D appliqué, Schiaparelli transformed flowers into surreal and avant- garde designs, blending high fashion with nature.
Also featured in the exhibition is Marimekko – a Finnish lifestyle design house founded in 1951 and globally renowned for its art of printmaking. Floral subjects, both abstract and literal, have become a hallmark of Marimekko’s design identity since artist Maija Isola designed a series of abstract floral prints for the house in the 1960s despite Marimekko founder Armi Ratia’s belief that beauty of flowers could not be captured in an artwork.
Today, floral abstractions are an unmistakable emblem at Marimekko and a source of inspiration for a new generation of print designers. The exhibition presents recent works by Antti Kekki, whose modern floral depictions capture Marimekko's joyful and artistic essence through a fresh lens.
Recognising that floral fashion extends beyond garments, the exhibition also features the tattoo art of Daniel The Gardener, whose botanical tattoos explore the intricate relationship between humans and the environment. Daniel crafts tailor-made pieces that “respect and honour the distinctive morphology of each client's body, evoking a sense of inherent belonging.” He says, “at the core of my work is the art of storytelling, where I translate the sitters’ personal narratives and their unique relationships with plants into one-of-a-kind tattoos.” On view are pictures and videos showcasing tattoos from Daniel’s years living and working in London – all featuring site- specific flora, accompanied by commentary from the individual subjects sharing their unique relationships with plants; as well as paintings created by Daniel at his recent Sarabande Foundation residency: Beneath the Sun, Once Together, and Along the Way.
The exhibition’s Fashion section also showcases works by The Arc, Stephanie Comilang, Camomile Creations, and Holly Stephenson. All set against the backdrop of rich wall colours, decorative patterns, and Sanderson Design Group wallpaper - further nodding to the proliferation of floral design in fashionable interiors. It offers a rich exploration of nature’s boundless inspiration in fashion and beyond.
FLOWERS – FLORA IN CONTEMPORARY ART & CULTURE presents over 500 unique artworks and objects across two floors and nine major gallery spaces to showcase the ongoing influence of flowers on creativity and human expression. The project partner for a presentation of photographic works from Flora Imaginaria, curated by Danaé Panchaud and William Ewing, is the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography (FEP). The exhibition is supported by Cazenove Capital and Buccellati.
Saatchi Gallery Lates will take place on 14 February, 28 February, 14 March, 11 April and 2 May and will feature drawing classes, workshops and creative activations.
Featured artists include:
Cristina Alcantara, Pedro Almodóvar, Nobuyoshi Araki, Nick Archer, Gillian Ayres, Jessica Backhaus, Mandy Barker, Brendan Barry, Susan Beech, Valérie Belin, Andy Bettles, Elizabeth Blackadder, John Blakemore, Jean Baptiste Bosschaert, Faye Bridgwater, Orlanda Broom, Buccellati, Olga Cafiero, Ann Carrington, Rob & Nick Carter, Miguel Chevalier, Christo, Philip Colbert, Lottie Cole, Stephanie Comilang, Sharon Core, Michael Craig-Martin, Reuben Dangoor, Lia Darjes, William Darrell, Tom de Houwer, Richard de Tscharner, Elspeth Diederix, Jim Dine, Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg, Ron van Dongen, Xuebing Du, Elaine Duigenan, Pamela Ellis Hawkes, Ruud van Empel, Joanna Epstein, Mary Fedden, Robert Frank, Anne von Freyburg, Erwan Frotin, Adam Fuss, Matthieu Gafsou, Grace Gillespie, Sky Glabush, Daniel Gordon, Maro Gorky, Roberto Greco, Jo Grogan, Anna Halm Schudel, Joanna Ham, Rose Electra Harris, Dan Hays, George Henry, Realf Heygate, Damien Hirst, Aimée Hoving, Gary Hume, Florence Hutchings, Mila Ilingina, Yinka Ilori, Michelle Jung, Nadav Kander, Heath Kane, Sandra Kantanen, Alex Katz, Rob Kesseler, Kior Ko, Jan Sebastian Koch, Irene Küng, Yayoi Kusama, Wole Lagunju, Caroline Larsen, Rebecca Louise Law, David Lebe, Laura Letinsky, Kathrin Linkersdorff, Brigitte Lustenberger, Mari Mahr, Martin Maloney, Ann Mandelbaum, Tony Matelli, Margaret Mellis, Sophie Mess, Anastasija Michailova, Andrew Millar, Banita Mistry, Carmen Mitrotta, Abelardo Morell, William Morris, Alphonse Mucha, Vik Muniz, Galina Munroe, Takashi Murakami, Winifred Nicholson, Jesse Pollock, Janet Pulcho, Stormy Pyeatte, Marc Quinn, Dan Rawlings, Marcel Rickli, Almudena Romero, Paul Rousteau, Andrew Salgado, Frederick Sander, Viviane Sassen, Thirza Schaap, Schiaprelli, Helene Schmitz, Martin Schoeller, Megan Seiter, Amy Shelton, Ann Shelton, David Shrigley, Niki Simpson, Chieska Fortune Smith, Paul Anthony Smith, Soldier, Rudolf Steiner, Holly Stevenson, Florent Stosskopf, Daniel The Gardener, Rebecca Thomas, Mimei Thompson, Miriam Tölke, VOYDER, Robert Walker, Tim Walker, Tom Wesselmann, Vivienne Westwood, Jo Whaley, Jess Wilson, Emma Witter, Kasia Wozniak, Nadirah Zakariya, Christina Zimpel, Victoria Zschommler, Andrew Zuckerman
Curatorial project partners include:
Chelsea Physic Garden, Cinema Poster Gallery, The Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography (FEP), Marimekko, Mary Quant Limited, Sanderson Design Group including Morris & Co., William Morris Gallery
-ENDS-
NOTES TO EDITORS
For all press enquiries, please contact +44 (0) 20 7811 3091, or:
Niamh Elain, Marketing & Press Executive, niamh.e@saatchigallery.com
Amelia Okell, Head of Communications, amelia@saatchigallery.com
Dates
Media preview: 11 February 2025
Open to the public: 12 February – 5 May 2025
Saatchi Lates: 14 February, 28 February, 14 March, 11 April, 2 May
Spaces
FLOWERS will occupy both the first and second floors of the Gallery.
Admission
This is a ticketed exhibition. Walk-ins are welcome but pre-booking is advised. Tickets can be booked online from 10 December at saatchigallery.com. Tickets start at £12.
Images
Press images can be obtained via our press page: www.saatchigallery.com/press. By using the images, you acknowledge and accept the terms and conditions found on our website. These images can only be reproduced to illustrate a review or criticism of a work or report as defined by section 30 (i) and (ii) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Social Media
Join the discussion about the exhibition online with #SaatchiGalleryFlowers
Instagram: @saatchi_gallery TikTok, X: @saatchi_gallery Facebook: @saatchigalleryofficial
School visits & Community groups
With the generous support of all our patrons, for each major exhibition, there are opportunities for students and community groups to engage in creative projects and workshops. For more details, visit www.saatchigallery.com/learning or call +44 (0) 20 7811 3087.
About Saatchi Gallery
Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts thousands of school visits annually and has over 6 million followers on social media. In 2019 Saatchi Gallery became a registered charity, beginning a new chapter in its history.
Registered Charity Number: 1182328 | Duke of York's HQ, King's Rd, Chelsea, London SW3 4RY
About Cazenove Capital
Cazenove Capital is a leading provider of personalised wealth management services to ultra- high-net-worth and high-net-worth clients, family offices and trusts. As well as discretionary and advisory investment services, we offer wider wealth management services such as advice on philanthropy and impact investment, wealth planning, cash management, deposit-taking and lending.
As the UK’s largest manager of charitable assets, our charity team provides a range of specialised services to a wide range of endowments, foundations and other charity clients. We also work in partnership with financial advisers to provide discretionary fund management to their clients.
Cazenove Capital is a subsidiary of Schroders plc, a major FTSE 100 company. The Schroder family still own a significant percentage of the company, having founded it over 200 years ago. This enables us to take a long-term view and to continue investing in our people, systems and services to deliver the high standards that we set of ourselves and that our clients expect of us.
For more information on our ultra-high and high-net-worth business in the UK, please visit cazenovecapital.com.
About Buccellati
Buccellati is a renowned high-jewelry and silverware Maison, admired for its craftmanship and the uniqueness of its creations. Distinctive is the use of rare stones with extraordinary colors, mixed with white and yellow gold, all nicely carved like laces. Today, the Buccellati jewels stand out for their design and for the techniques used to create them, such as the hand-engraving technique, dating back to the ancient goldsmithing traditions of the Italian “bottega” during the Renaissance times. The shapes of the collections are all inspired the historical archive drawings and by the very first creations of the founder, Mario Buccellati. Today, the Maison is 100% owned by Richemont, but the Buccellati family is still present in the company with top level managerial functions. Buccellati boutiques are present in the most important cities and in the most prestigious Malls of the world.
About The Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography
An independent non-profit organization, The Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography (FEP) produces unique and influential museum-quality photography exhibitions and circulates them around the world. The Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography (Minneapolis/Paris/Lausanne) aims to enlighten, delight, and inspire people around the world through the presentation of photography exhibitions, publications, related online content, symposia, lectures, and other forms of educational events and materials. Founded in 2003, FEP is based in Minneapolis, a city with a vibrant tradition of support for the arts. The organization has achieved substantial results in its first two decades, with shows travelling to 35 countries on 4 continents, and with catalogues produced in many different languages.
