We got a first look at NYBG's new Van Gogh exhibit—and it's a floral fantasy come to life
This summer, the New York Botanical Garden invites New Yorkers to step into the world of Vincent van Gogh—not through a frame on a museum wall, but through fields of sunflowers, sweeping bursts of color and sculptural still lifes that bloom around you. Van Gogh's Flowers, on view from May 24 through October 26, transforms the Garden's 250 acres into a kaleidoscopic celebration of the artist's lifelong obsession with nature.
This isn't just a flower show. The exhibition brings Van Gogh's expressive canvases off the wall and into the wild, pairing his iconic works with contemporary interpretations and living installations. At the heart of the experience is a towering field of real and sculptural sunflowers designed by French artist Cyril Lancelin, an immersive environment where guests can wander through Van Gogh's signature motif on a monumental scale. Nearby, Graphic Rewilding's massive floral artworks explode with color in the Conservatory and reflecting pools, paying tribute to the visual language Van Gogh used to translate nature into emotion.
Inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, Kansas City sculptor Amie Jacobsen has reimagined Van Gogh's still lifes in three dimensions, with supersized roses, irises and imperial fritillaries blooming in front of lush living backdrops. Each piece required months of effort—Jacobsen, who works with a small team of assistants, said it took about four months of nonstop work to complete the sculptures. 'Creating a sculpture that's responding to a painting that's responding to nature is really fun,' she said, calling the process both a technical and emotional challenge. The result is a garden that feels like a dreamscape, where Van Gogh's brushstrokes bloom in steel and color.
Even the hospital garden in Arles, which Van Gogh famously painted during his stay in 1889, is brought to life through a detailed botanical reconstruction, complete with architectural elements and flower beds that mirror the original scene.
The show also includes playful programming meant to spark creativity and bring visitors deeper into Van Gogh's artistic process. There are drop-in plein air painting sessions, LEGO pop-ups where kids (and adults!) can build mini sunflower masterpieces and a 'fan club' craft station. But the real showstopper comes after dark: on select Friday and Saturday nights through September, the Garden will host Starry Nights, an after-hours event with music, drinks and conditions permitting, New York's first Van Gogh-themed drone show. Hundreds of glowing drones will swirl and pulse above the Conservatory, recreating the magic of The Starry Night in midair.
For those who want to keep the Van Gogh fantasy going, a very floral detour awaits downtown. The Peninsula New York is offering a limited time Van Gogh Floral Afternoon Tea through June 28 at its Gotham Lounge, where edible blooms and painterly pastries meet champagne and a museum ticket. Expect a chocolate-honey sunflower, cherry blossom sponge cakes and sunflower seed foie gras on brioche, all served amid flower arrangements inspired by the artist's most famous canvases. The tea includes admission to Van Gogh's Flowers, but guests can also upgrade to a $400 VIP experience with a private golf cart tour at NYBG, lunch at Hudson Garden Grill and a gift card to the Garden shop.
'This exhibition brings the paintings you know so well to life with the plants that inspired the artist,' said NYBG CEO Jennifer Bernstein. 'You've seen the paintings—now see them come to life in the garden.'
Whether you're a lifelong Van Gogh fan, an avid gardener or just looking for a dose of color and calm, Van Gogh's Flowers offers a lush, unforgettable journey into the mind of an artist who saw beauty in every petal.
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