The Art of Plant Evolution

Genetic discoveries have changed our understanding of many plants over the past ten years and this exhibition of paintings from the Shirley Sherwood Collection is arranged according to the evolutionary sequence revealed by recent DNA analysis. Some 130 paintings by 84 contemporary artists from around the world are included, representing the plant world and its evolution. The paintings are accompanied by plant fossils including ferns, leaves of cycads and the Wollemi pine, one of the oldest and rarest species of tree on earth. The exhibition also includes a letter written by Charles Darwin and memorabilia linking the botanist with Kew's first directors, William and Joseph Hooker.