Selby Botanical Gardens Presents 'Tiffany: The Pursuit Of Beauty In Nature' in February 2023

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens will present Tiffany: The Pursuit of Beauty in Nature as the 2023 installment of its Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Series. Opening February 12, 2023, the exhibition-an elaborate living art display integrating horticulture and art installed throughout the Gardens-will showcase the creativity and innovation of the American artist and designer Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933). Tiffany: The Pursuit of Beauty in Nature marks the seventh edition of Selby Gardens' annual Goldstein Exhibition, which examines the work of major artists through the lens of their connections to nature.

The presentation will feature an array of Tiffany's acclaimed stained‐glass windows and lamps and immersive horticultural displays. Created by Selby Gardens' horticultural team with the leadership of Chief Museum Curator Dr. David Berry, the installations will be located in the Gardens' world‐famous Tropical Conservatory and throughout the grounds of its 15‐acre Downtown Sarasota campus. Hundreds of colorful bromeliads will form floral mosaics of "stained glass" in the landscape, and blooming butterfly plants will enhance the outdoor vignettes. Inside the Tropical Conservatory, vibrant orchids, gesneriads, and bromeliads will enliven stunning displays inspired by Tiffany's aesthetic. The kaleidoscopic horticultural vignettes will spotlight connections between Tiffany Studios' output and the natural world-from daffodils and wisteria to dragonflies and lilyponds.

"Louis Comfort Tiffany's work as an artist and designer was part of a lifelong goal he described as 'the pursuit of beauty,' and he believed that inspiration for this work should be found in nature," said Selby Gardens President and CEO Jennifer O. Rominiecki. "We are excited to celebrate Louis Comfort Tiffany's art-admired and beloved by so many-and more deeply explore his unique aesthetic in the context of our botanical garden setting."

Louis Comfort Tiffany was one of the most influential American artists and designers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He founded Tiffany Studios and served as the first design director of Tiffany & Co., the renowned jewelry and silver firm established by his father, Charles Lewis Tiffany (1812-1902). Louis Comfort Tiffany was closely associated with Art Nouveau, an international style of art and design characterized by organic lines and natural forms. He began his career as a painter, but later turned his attention to decorative arts, particularly stained glass, for which he became best known.

Outstanding examples of Tiffany's work in various media will be on view in Selby Gardens' Museum of Botany & the Arts. Generously lent from a private collection, this remarkable group of over 40 lamps, vases, and other objects will be used to tell the story of Tiffany and his studio, which revolutionized glassmaking and elevated the status of American decorative arts at home and abroad.

One of the stories Berry will explore in the Museum exhibition is the group of often unnamed artisans who helped Louis Comfort Tiffany achieve his vision. Tiffany employed a team of skilled designers and craftspeople who translated his ideas into beautiful objects in a diversity of artistic and decorative mediums. That team included talented women who contributed to every aspect of glasswork, from initial design to creating the final product.

As the next installment in the Goldstein Exhibition Series, Tiffany: The Pursuit of Beauty in Nature follows a 2022 exhibition that featured the work of contemporary photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and singer‐songwriter, poet, author, and artist Patti Smith.

"We strive to do two things with our Goldstein Exhibition Series in order to engage and edify our audiences," said Rominiecki. "When it comes to the artists we feature, we jump back and forth in time and across genres, which keeps the series fresh. We also look for the unfamiliar in an artist's work and sometimes discover surprising connections to nature. I'm excited to see how our team at Selby Gardens will interpret Tiffany's celebrated body of work."

Tiffany: The Pursuit of Beauty in Nature will be on view at Selby Gardens' Downtown Sarasota campus from February 12 through June 25, 2023. A rich schedule of educational programs and special events will be developed to complement the exhibition. Please check the Gardens' website for further details closer to the opening.