Press Release

Unique Victorian botanical art gallery at Kew Gardens to be restored to its former glory

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) has been awarded a £1,867,000 Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant for the restoration of the Marianne North Gallery. The Gallery, which is dedicated solely to the art of the intrepid, globe-trotting Victorian artist Marianne North, will be closed from 23 June 2008 and will reopen in September 2009 as part of RBG Kew’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

RBG Kew is home to one of the largest collections of botanical art in the world and, along with the newly opened Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, the Marianne North Gallery is a showcase for RBG Kew’s art collection, which totals some 200,000 works including original art works and prints. The Marianne North Gallery displays botanical and landscape paintings that are not only beautiful and part of Kew’s rich history and heritage, but also vital to plant science and conservation as they document species and areas of the natural world now threatened by our changing climate and modern lifestyles. The grant will help repair and improve conditions of the striking Victorian Grade II listed building as well as restoring the astonishing botanical art collection that it holds.

During the restoration Kew Gardens will also be developing fresh interpretation and an enhanced learning programme allowing the public to delve into Miss North's history and the stories behind her art and discoveries. This restoration work will increase the overall enjoyment of the collection. A community outreach worker has consulted a wide range of community groups to establish their needs and these results will in turn influence all aspects of the restoration project.

The Marianne North Gallery holds a vibrant floor-to-ceiling collection of one woman's botanical art, hung frame to frame in an arrangement unchanged since the gallery first opened its doors in 1882. Purpose built by James Ferguson, the building is the only gallery in the UK where all the work on display was produced by one female artist. It is also uniquely adorned with the product of Miss North's talent, from the personally decorated door surrounds to the intricate and geographically themed pattern in which the paintings are hung. Having spent her life exploring the world - she travelled with her easel and paints to Jamaica, Brazil, Borneo, India, Ceylon, South Africa, Seychelles, Australia and Tasmania - Marianne North documented over 900 species in her distinctive artistic style.

Christopher Mills, Head of Library, Art and Archives at RBG Kew said:  “Kew holds one of the greatest collections of botanical art in the world. We are absolutely thrilled to receive the Heritage Lottery Fund grant, which will help rejuvenate this beautiful building and the Marianne North collection in time for our 250th anniversary in 2009. We hope the restored gallery will continue to illustrate the importance of plant conservation and inspire wonder and respect for the natural world.’

Sue Bowers, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund for London, said: “A key part of Kew’s Victorian legacy, the Marianne North Gallery contains the only permanent solo exhibition by a female artist in Britain. We are delighted to see this project come to fruition and that the building will be restored and ready to welcome a whole new generation of visitors.”

When the Marianne North Gallery reopens it will be part of the ‘arc route’, designed to draw visitors to the less visited features of the Gardens such as the Rhododendron Dell, Bamboo Garden and Minka House. A number of new projects have been sited on this route, including the Rhizotron and Xstrata Treetop Walkway, which opened in May 2008, The Shirley Sherwood Gallery, which opened in April 2008, and the Sackler Crossing, which opened in 2006.

The Marianne North Gallery is also physically linked to the adjacent Shirley Sherwood Gallery, which is the first gallery in the world dedicated to botanical art and open to the public all year round. Designed by award-winning architects Walters and Cohen, The Shirley Sherwood Gallery exhibits precious works of art from the collections of the RBG Kew, many of which have never been on public display before and Dr Shirley Sherwood, one of the world’s most prolific private collectors of contemporary botanical art.

The HLF grant represents approximately half of the total costs of restoring the Marianne North Gallery and RBG Kew still needs to fundraise in order to raise the total amount of money required, £1.1 million. Through our ‘Adopt a Painting' scheme we are offering people the chance to have a hand in safeguarding each of the Gallery’s paintings and supporting a unique artistic collection.

All 832 paintings in the Marianne North Gallery are available for adoption and can be individually selected according to preference, from over 20 countries and 900 species. By saving a piece of RBG Kew’s heritage through our ‘Adopt a Painting’ scheme', each painting’s new found supporter(s) will receive a print of their chosen painting and be given the chance to see the complex painting restoration process in person. Their support will be acknowledged in the refurbished Gallery and they will also be invited to attend a special event when the Gallery reopens in September 2009.

For more information about the scheme visit http://www.kew.org/mng/

Notes to Editors:

Further Information
For further information please contact the Press Office at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Please visit www.kew.org/press or contact Bryony Phillips, Catherine Owen or Bronwyn Friedlander on pr@kew.org or 020 8332 5607. Images are available at www.kew.org/press/images. Please contact the RBG Kew Press Office for a username and password to download in high resolution format.

Adopt a Painting
For advice on which painting to choose people can email mng@kew.org or call Helen Lawrence on 020 8332 3249.

Art on Demand
The Shirley Sherwood Gallery features Art on Demand - a unique service allowing visitors to select images from Kew's archive of renowned botanical art and photography, to create a bespoke piece of art. Art on Demand offers archival quality prints and canvases in a variety of sizes and with a choice of frames, delivered to your door ready-to-hang. Art on Demand is also available from the Victoria Plaza shop and will shortly be accessible via Kew's website. Kew Art on Demand is in association with The Art Group, established leaders in art publishing.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Kew Gardens is a major international visitor attraction and its 132 hectares of landscaped gardens attract over one million visitors per year. Kew is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2009. The site houses over 40 listed buildings and other structures including the Palm House, Temperate House, Orangery and Pagoda as well as two ancient monuments, Queen Charlotte's Cottage and Kew Palace. RBG, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. For more information visit www.kew.org.

There are a wealth of collections held at Kew that offer an opportunity to explore some of the lesser known aspects of RBG Kew's rich history and heritage and its present day role. Members of the media interested in a behind-the-scenes look at RBG Kew should contact pr@kew.org.

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF)
Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage.  HLF has supported more than 26,000 projects, allocating over £4billion across the UK. Over £840 million has been granted in London alone, with nearly £24million going to 72 projects in Richmond upon Thames. Website: www.hlf.org.uk.

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