Botanical Art of Spanish Scientific Expeditions | EXHIBITION

About the event

On behalf of the Director of the University of Warsaw Botanic Garden, Prof. Marcin Zych, and the Ambassador of Spain to Poland, H.E. Mr. Ramiro Fernández, we cordially invite you to the exhibition entitled: BOTANICAL ART OF SPANISH SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITIONS 🌿 The exhibition will be displayed in four greenhouses of the University of Warsaw Botanic Garden from December 13, 2025 to March 15, 2026. The exhibition, shown for the first time in Poland, consists of 64 reproductions of illustrations that are part of the collection of the Royal Botanical Expedition to the New Kingdom of Granada (1783–1816), led by José Celestino Mutis, whose collections are kept in the historical archive of the Spanish Royal Botanic Garden – CSIC. --- In the second half of the 18th century, Spain initiated a scientific program, organizing expeditions with the aim of exploring American nature. These journeys were so extensive that ultimately seven scientific expeditions were organized, aiming, among other things, to describe, illustrate, and arrange herbariums of plants discovered in those parts of South America. Spanish botanists and artists participating in these expeditions created unique collections of manuscripts, engravings, and herbariums, which are now kept in the Royal Botanic Garden in Madrid. The collections of drawings made by artists of Spanish scientific expeditions constitute a unique botanical heritage not only because of their scientific value, but also thanks to their artistic, historical, and cultural qualities. In 2010, they were inscribed on the UNESCO International Memory of the World Register for Latin America and the Caribbean. Royal Botanical Expedition to the New Kingdom of Granada (1783-1816) | The collection of illustrations belonging to the Royal Botanical Expedition to the New Kingdom of Granada (1783-1816) was one of the most important botanical iconographies of Hispanic America in the 18th century, as it marked a change in the previous approach to scientific drawing. The expedition, led by José Celestino Mutis (1732-1808), officially began in 1783 and lasted thirty-four years, during which it traversed about 8,000 km² of territory around the Magdalena River in present-day Colombia. The drawings are characterized by extremely high quality, beauty, and scientific rigor. They are also very numerous. They were made in the artists' studio under the direction of J.C. Mutis, originally established in Mariquita and later in Santa Fe de Bogotá. The style of the collection is distinguished by refined artistic composition, combining the pursuit of beauty, excellent representation of botanical features of the plant, and sophisticated technique of working with light. They depict 2,696 species of plants from Colombia and Ecuador. The botanical identification of most drawings was made by the authors of the Flora of the Royal Botanical Expedition to the New Kingdom of Granada. The full collection is kept in the Archive of the Royal Botanic Garden (CSIC) in Madrid. _______ ORGANIZERS: - Embassy of Spain in Poland - University of Warsaw Botanic Garden EXHIBITION CURATOR - Royal Botanic Garden CSIC in Madrid _______ #WinterInTheTropics 🌱 In the winter season, the greenhouses of the University of Warsaw Botanic Garden are open on weekends and holidays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The ticket office is open until 3:20 p.m. and is located in the Conference Room. The greenhouses can be visited until 4:00 p.m. #MagicalBotanicGarden ✨ The light exhibition in the winter garden is open from November 8 – daily except Wednesdays from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.