Floral art remains in bloom; flowers have been a constant inspiration for artists and a perennial favorite for collectors. Discover the secret behind a market that always seems to grow and thrive - Special Report

Art Business News, August, 2002 by Julie Keller

Today, flowers are one of the most common subjects on the walls of art lovers. Be it realistic or impressionistic, brightly colored or subdued, in full bloom or in bud, florals have a universal appeal. Artists have painted flowers for nearly as long as there has been paint, galleries consistently host floral-themed showed with smashing success, auction houses are breaking sales records with floral sales, and museums are hosting a bouquet of shows centered around one thing: the flower. Indeed, Art Business News' 2002 Perspectives on Printing survey shows florals as the second-most-sold subject in galleries nationwide, second only to landscapes. And this trend shows no signs of stopping.

"Flowers have a long history as subjects of art that spans hundreds of years and a variety of nationalities," said Richard York of the eponymous Richard York Gallery in New York. "Flowers have long represented a language of their own, and in different cultures, different species of flowers are interpreted in different ways. Perhaps it is the language of flowers and people's associations with flowers that makes this a timeless subject matter."

"Flowers are simply beautiful," added Cynthia McBride of the McBride Gallery in Annapolis, Md. "Their colors are fresh, happy, uplifting and elegantly pure. Everyone loves flowers in nature, and most everyone loves flowers in art."

"The appeal of flowers is timeless and speaks to our soul in many ways," said Nancy Dunwell, creative director at Wild Apple in Woodstock, Vt. "Flowers are symbolic of many positive feelings for all of us: giving, sharing, love, beauty, purity, fragility, growth, renewal and abundance. People then ascribe even further feelings to specific flowers culturally, so they can signify even more attributes for the giver, receiver or person who displays them."

A True Mass Market

Floral art can be found in nearly all markets, in nearly every price range, from well-known artists to the most obscure painters. Georgia O'Keeffe's 1928 "Calla Lilies with Red Anemone" garnered an astonishing $6.2 million at a recent Christie's auction in New York, the highest price ever for a work by this seminal floral artist. And the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, N.M, has seen a study flow of traffic since it opened its doors five years ago. In Las Vegas, the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art recently opened its Collectors Gallery with "Art in Bloom: The Nature of Impressionism," a selection of landscape and still-life works by famed impressionist artists. And galleries nationwide have found success with work ranging from high-end originals to limited-edition prints. Yet $10 posters have a similar appeal for collectors with smaller bank accounts.

"[Flowers] cross all demographic groups, with specific attraction to specific looks by some segments," said Wild Apple's Dunwell. "Children or teens will be drawn to bright, perhaps structurally simpler flowers, like Gerber daisies, and men may prefer Calla lilies over Lilies of the Valley."

York said he finds that men and women alike are attracted to floral art in his gallery. "Given the number of variations and styles in which one can find flowers represented in art, there is art to suit nearly any collector's needs."

Added Charlie Kimbell, director of sales for Wild Apple. "From our information, roughly 65 percent of decorative artwork sold at retail is florals. The category transcends generations and geography, seasons and economics."

An Inspiration for Artists

For artists, there is nothing as simple, beautiful or as complex as the flower. "Artists are inspired by beauty; thus they paint flowers," McBride pointed out.

Paris-based, Brazilian-born artist Edgar Saillen, California-based realist painter Brian Davis and Scottsdale-based artist Jeanne Bonine are just three artists who have found true inspiration in the flower and often use it as the main subject of their work. Though their work is different in style and method--Saillen paints in the classic style of the Old Dutch Masters with a mix of egg tempera and oil, Bonine is a self-taught artist who creates her colorful paintings with watercolor, and Davis paints in oil--all three show the same adoration for the petal.

"I am intrigued by flowers for their delicate beauty," explained Saillen. "They are so real, yet so easily spoiled. This is a perfect comparison to the life of man: so beautiful, so real, so powerful, yet so fragile."

"I find flowers so compelling, mostly because of their beauty, which translates to me as the meaning of life," explained Bonine.

"It is easy to be consumed by the craziness of life, the problems of your job, the political issues of the world," said Davis. "So it's important to have an environment at home that counter-balances, that nurtures you and reminds you that there is a lot in the world that is wonderful and beautiful and amazing. Flowers do that. It is my job to do the best I can to represent them and bring out their dignity and hidden beauty to remind people we are surrounded by beauty if you take the time to look for it."