Botanical brilliance

Today, botanical art is seeing something of a revival, and much of this can be credited to an on-going collaboration between Saatchi Gallery and The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Botanical art has been central to RHS exhibitions for over a century, but recent years have seen the competition grow from a subset of flower shows to a distinguished event in its own right. Summer 2025 sees Saatchi Gallery open its doors for the fifth year to the RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show, which has catapulted botanical art and garden photography onto the mainstream art stage.

 

The partnership was born in 2021 with a single aim: to showcase this unique art form beyond traditional horticultural circles. And the two charitable institutions have more than delivered: just a stone’s throw from Chelsea’s bustling Sloane Square, Saatchi Gallery is housed in an iconic Grade II listed building and has welcomed more than 10 million visitors since it opened in 1985.

This annual exhibition is not only a showcase of beauty – it is a celebration of remarkable scientific precision, artistic dedication and global talent. The 2025 exhibition features works by 15 botanical artists and 18 photographers from eight different countries around the world. Each exhibitor will present a six-piece portfolio, so visitors can experience an immersive and narrative-driven exploration of plants and the stories they tell.

 

Each of the 198 works on display showcase the incredible diversity of plant life and artistic interpretation. Some collections focus on a single species such as the Japanese lotus, whose full life cycle is portrayed over the course of a year. Other artists have captured a broader exploration, such as the changing characteristics of native British trees across seasons. And there’s much more to the show than the works on display: every portfolio is the result of years of study, observation and often the artists’ cultivation of the plants themselves.

 

The relationship between humans and the plant world is a resounding theme of this year’s exhibition. A group exhibit from artists based in Korea explores the use of plants in cosmetics, while another artist represented the trees in the forest near his Spanish home, following the creation of a woodland in memory of his father. Every single exhibiting collection has its own story, making for an emotionally impactful experience that highlights that botanical art is as much about the human experience as it is about plants themselves.

 

The unequivocal link between humans and plants is further explored in the exhibition’s photography category. Photographer Sabine Tillie Davidson’s portfolio Interconnectedness of Life illustrates the vital role that plants play in human survival. The contemplative images highlight the undeniable beauty and complexity of human existence in relation to the botanical world. This theme resonates throughout the photography exhibition where a varied range of plant subjects, landscapes and gardens further serve to illustrate the mutually beneficial relationship between people and nature.

This year’s exhibition will pay tribute to Lillian Snelling, one of the most renowned botanical artists of the 20th century. Known for her detailed and vibrant works, Snelling was Curtis's Botanical Magazine’s principal artist from 1921 to 1952, during which time she produced more than 830 illustrations. Esteemed for scientific accuracy and artistic beauty, Snelling's works continue to educate and inspire visitors at a raft of botanical institutions, including The RHS Lindley Library.

With 30,000 works dating back to the 1600s, the Library’s collection spans four centuries of botanical illustration across Europe, Asia and beyond. The Lindley Library in London is open Tuesday to Friday between 10am and 4pm. You can view artworks and much more online with RHS Digital Collections by visiting rhs.org.uk/collections.

Ahead of the exhibition, artists undergo a pre-qualification process overseen by a judging panel comprised of renowned experts. Successful artists can spend up to five years creating their submissions, which vary from watercolour, pencil or ink. Entrants for the photography category are required to submit complete portfolios for review, which are then judged on both artistic cohesion and narrative clarity. While the timelines may be shorter, the standard of work and the judging process is equally rigorous.

Bringing the exhibition to life requires months of collaboration: staff from the RHS and Saatchi Gallery support each artist through framing, presentation and accurate labelling. Visitors to the exhibition see the scale of preparation and time spent in studios and on fieldwork through a digital installation on site.

Winners are selected according to artistic merit and the botanical accuracy of their chosen species. RHS Gold, Silver-gilt, Silver and Bronze Medals are awarded, with additional accolades recognising outstanding exhibits and individual achievements.

Many participating artists are established professionals, while others see the exhibition as a major career milestone. Winning an RHS Medal can and has opened doors to other prestigious shows, acquisitions by public collections and new opportunities for professional growth.

In addition to the main medals, the RHS judges select a handful of entries for special recognition. These awards celebrate outstanding contributions across two distinct disciplines: botanical art, exploring the deep connection between plants and people, highlighting their relevance in our daily lives; and photography, capturing the beauty and diversity of the plant world through the lens. The photography portfolio category invites photographers to submit a series of six images on a common theme, judged collectively for artistic and technical merit. The awards honour works that stand out for their creativity, precision and distinctive perspective.

You can view the three winners of each category online on the show’s website by visiting rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-botanical-art-and-photography-show.

• 49 gold Medals have been awarded for botanical art and photography in the Show since 2021.
• 1,000+ school children and community groups have visited the exhibition each year.
• 33 exhibits and 198 pictures will be on display this year, by artists and photographers from eight countries worldwide.
• 1930 - The first RHS Gold Medal for ‘flower painting’ was awarded to Frank Galsworthy.
• 100 years since the RHS first awarded medals for paintings and photography. Early exhibits were displayed under canvas at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Yoko Harada’s dedication to botanical artistry paid off when she exhibited for the first time with the RHS in 2022. Her debut collection, The Genus Arisaema in Japan, featured six exquisitely detailed watercolours. In addition to being awarded a coveted Gold Medal for her exhibition, Harada's watercolour of Arisaema thunbergii subsp. Urashima was named the Best Botanical Artwork – a painting that had been two years in the making.

In a gesture as graceful as her art, Harada has since donated the celebrated painting to The RHS Lindley Library collections. It is now displayed at the Library, which has collated 30,000 pictures over the last 400 years.