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If you want to inject a little botanical bliss into your weekend, the Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) has just unveiled a new exhibition that brings the world’s most famous gardens to Tsim Sha Tsui. Titled ‘Blooming: The Art of Gardens in East and West’, this is a sprawling look at how kings, nobles, and legendary painters have been captured by the beauty of nature for centuries.
Featuring over 100 sets of selected paintings and artefacts, the show is a major collaboration between the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Palace of Versailles. It’s an impressive assembly of history, moving from the royal grounds of King Louis XIV to the imperial summer retreats of Emperor Qianlong. Visitors can expect to see masterpieces like Leng Mei’s Imperial Summer Resort and Wen Zhengming’s Spring Ablution at the Orchid Pavilion, alongside ink-and-colour works by Zhang Daqian from the HKMoA’s own collection.
The star of the show, however, has got to be the arrival of Claude Monet’s iconic work. Two of the French painter’s most iconic pieces – the Water Lilies (1906) and Water Lily Pond (1900) – have made the trip over from Chicago, giving us a rare, front-row seat to see the artist’s famous brushwork without the need to hop on a long-haul flight.
The exhibition is split into sections that explore everything from green spaces for quiet contemplation to gardens used as symbols of grand royal posturing. It also features a scenographic recreation of the Orchid Pavilion Gathering in the education corner, providing visitors with an immersive experience where they can interact with a virtual wine cup to see different flowers blooming.
‘Blooming: The Art of Gardens in East and West’ is running from now until July 29, 2026, at the Special Gallery on the second floor of the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Entry is completely free for all visitors, so make time in your schedule and head down this weekend to catch these masterpieces while they’re still in town.
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