Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Monet’s Garden
Posted in Exhibitions, Monet's Garden, Programs and Events on June 15 2012, by Matt Newman
We’re bringing the City of Lights to the City that Never Sleeps, and it begins this Saturday night with the first of our Monet Evenings.
Once a month from now through September, the NYBG will host elegant cocktail nights flaunting all the romance of the city on the Seine–the pluck and jangle of Gypsy Jazz, the nostalgic swoon of “La Vie en Rose,” the swing of the Zazou movement, or the sanguine strains of Debussy. Because, the way we see it, there’s no need to stop at the rural charm of Monet’s Giverny when so many of his contemporaries found their muse on the Champs-Élysées. Impressionism goes beyond the context of the canvas, after all.
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Posted in Around the Garden on June 15 2012, by Matt Newman
A herd of us, myself included, skipped out on our desks yesterday to spend the morning in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, picking our way through the planted rows and soaking up the spring weather. We’re not truants so much as curious and hungry, really. After a few minutes chatting with the Family Garden’s Assistant Manager, Annie Novak, we can’t think of a better place to let loose with your kids over the weekend.
I’m not just saying that because Annie kindly let us pluck a couple of sugarsnap pea pods to munch on, either. (After much whining and pleading on our part, though totally worth the effort considering how crispy-delightful they were).
More than an oasis of everyday New York staples, this foodie bonanza is also the host of Global Gardens, where five international green thumbs are tending plots that represent the home-grown veggies of their countries’ cuisines: Italian, Irish, Korean, Chinese, and Caribbean. And (perfect timing, I know) this weekend marks their Summer Harvest Celebration!
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Posted in Monet's Garden, Video on June 13 2012, by Matt Newman
Claude Monet’s careful brush strokes have intrigued art critics, collectors, and museum-goers for well over a century, yet the masterworks seen on canvas exceed simple impressions of nature’s vistas. From his admiration for Japanese landscape painters to his tours through the tulip fields of Holland, Monet’s experiences directly influenced his creations–both in paint and within the trellised borders of Giverny. And few so thoroughly understand the nuances of the man behind the palette like Professor Paul Hayes Tucker.
The world’s foremost Monet scholar, Professor Tucker joins The New York Botanical Garden as the esteemed curator of Monet’s Garden, celebrating the life of the master painter and gardener while bringing to light a career spent in pursuit of art’s highest achievements. Here he presents a brief journey, walking us through a story hidden within the subtleties of Monet’s artwork–that of an Impressionist with an ever evolving sense of what art could (or should) be.
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Posted in Around the Garden on June 8 2012, by Matt Newman
We’re looking at early summer days in the Garden this weekend! Already we’re seeing warmer temperatures, welcome afternoon showers, and the flushed, vivid shade of green that comes with the hotter months. But bring on the sunglasses and short sleeves; they’re all the better for a picnic.
There’s just about two weeks left in the season, officially, meaning you still have time to catch the early color of the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden with an expert-led tour. Afterward, jump right into a session with our Gardener for Public Education, Sonia Uyterhoeven, whose top-notch rosarian wisdom will set you on the path to tending New Dawns and Mr. Lincolns of your own. (It’s okay to be the envy of the Home Owner’s Association, suburbanites.)
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Posted in Gardens and Collections, Monet's Garden on June 7 2012, by Matt Newman
The fleur-de-lis may predate the French monarchy, but it’s forever the nation of the Seine that we associate it with, and in turn the iris that inspired the symbol. It’s timely, then, that the irises are blooming now for Monet’s Garden, just as they are across the Atlantic in the artist’s garden at Giverny, settled in the north of France. Walking through our own display in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, you’ll come upon several breeds of royal purple flower poking proudly from between the delphiniums, poppies, and furry mullein stalks. But outside, the iris is a constant spring resident!
In ancient Greece, Iris was considered the goddess of the rainbow, a messenger between divinity and humanity who carried the word of the pantheon to Earth. Her flowers do their best to make their namesake proud in at least that first regard, sprouting up along borders and plots throughout the Garden in every shade of purple, blue, pink, and often white or yellow. (True red remains the sought after grail of the iris connoisseur, a color that no amount of hybridizing has been able to produce reliably.) Not the full range of the rainbow, but pretty close, to be sure.
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Posted in Monet's Garden, Photography on June 4 2012, by Matt Newman
Mallarmé and Rimbaud live here. Their words, at least. Monet’s Garden, beyond Giverny, is about exploring Impressionism as a movement, dipping into the lyricism of the era’s Symbolist poets. You’ll find selections from some of Monet’s gifted contemporaries placed throughout the Perennial Garden.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Monet's Garden on June 1 2012, by Matt Newman
Most of us aren’t keen to stand in line, and I doubt you think any differently. But in New York City it seems almost unavoidable. Key word being “almost.”
On weekends from now through June 24, Monet’s Garden offers our Members the chance to skip straight past the bustle of the afternoon crowd and view our visiting masterworks an hour before we open the gates. Consider it a show of our gratitude for your welcome contribution to the NYBG! And seeing as spring is staying put for a while longer, we thought it best to make this available to our Members while the pleasant weather is still teasing everyone to sneak outside.
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Posted in Around the Garden, Monet's Garden on June 1 2012, by Matt Newman
The finer nuances of art make their way past the framed edges of the canvas and into the kitchen! Join us this weekend (one of many such adventures in the coming months) for a celebration of all things culinary as we step into the kitchen gardens of France, the salad days of spring, and Monet’s life as not only a painter, but a gourmand. The father of Impressionism took as much pleasure in the abundance of his dinner table as he did his painted garden at Giverny, and Monet’s Garden embraces both!
Showing throughout much of this summer’s exhibition, Monet’s Palate calls talented chefs to bat for the rich culinary traditions of Normandy, a region in the north of France home not only to Giverny, but to a cornucopia of the country’s most esteemed cuisine. Also on Saturday and Sunday, meet up with Gardener for Public Education Sonia Uyterhoeven for an introduction to jardin potagers, or kitchen gardens, a French staple that takes stocking your produce drawer to heights far beyond anything you can pluck from your window sill herb collection.
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Posted in Monet's Garden on May 29 2012, by Ann Rafalko
| Ann Rafalko is Director of Online Content. |
When I was in Paris last June, it was hot–hotter than it is today in New York City–with temperatures flirting with the mid-90s. I was not in Paris for work, but since I’m a bit of a workaholic, I convinced my friends to accompany me to Giverny, where we found a serene, green oasis. Despite my friends having little interest in plants and gardening, they loved our trip to Claude Monet’s jardin, because you don’t go to Giverny to look at plants; you go to Giverny to experience Monet. You go to find a deeper understanding of the great Impressionist, and we’re hoping you come to Monet’s Garden for the same reason.
Inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory are the stars of the show, the recreation of Monet’s flower garden and his iconic water garden. But outside, in the paths of the Perennial Garden and the environs of the Conservatory, you can read works–in English and French–from Monet’s contemporaries, the Symbolist poets. Impressionism was a full-blown artistic movement that extended to the very edges of the bohemian circles of Paris and beyond. Linger amid poppies and peonies and phloxes and contemplate what Charles Baudelaire meant when he wrote, “Voici venir les temps où vibrant sur sa tige/Chaque fleurs s’évapore ainsi qu’un encensoir” (“Now comes the time when swaying on its stem/each flower offers incense to the night”).
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Posted in Around the Garden on May 25 2012, by Matt Newman
Three-day weekend? We’ll take it! After a virtual roller coaster of activity here in the office, we’re as relieved as you are to see that calming stretch of calendar squares laid out before us. Entering the opening days of the year’s most anticipated exhibition was one thing, but biting our nails over the conclusion of the Partners in Preservation competition made for an atmosphere a few notches below peaceful! We’re immensely proud of what we have accomplished, and with smooth sailing from here on out, there’s plenty to celebrate at the NYBG this Memorial Day (yep, we’re open Monday, too!)
Monet’s Garden is dazzling thousands of visitors in its first week. Even with those few dreary days of drizzle, the grounds have been alive with guests taking the tram to see the Conservatory‘s own Giverny, viewing the masterworks of the great Impressionist in the Library, and everything in between. As if we weren’t already enjoying the outcome, the cherry on the sundae arrived Tuesday morning. Thanks to you, our many generous supporters, The New York Botanical Garden will receive a grant of $250,000 from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, being used to restore and preserve our long-treasured Rock Garden. A month of campaigning for votes (not to mention the patience of our fans) paid off with a spot in the winner’s circle!
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We’re bringing the City of Lights to the City that Never Sleeps, and it begins this Saturday night with the first of our Monet Evenings.
