Flower: Exploring the World in Bloom — by Phaidon Editors

"Like life, the flower is fragile and temporary, but we can cherish the beauty of them all the more thanks to Flower."

— Gardens Illustrated

"In normal times, visits to gardens, jaunts to discover those famous scenic landscapes and soaking up lush vistas are, of course, one of the highlights for travellers the world over. Flower takes its readers on a different journey — but a voyage nonetheless — across continents and cultures to discover the endless ways artists and designers throughout history, from ancient Egypt to the modern day in New York, have depicted flowers and floral motifs." 

— Forbes

Celebrate the beauty and appeal of flowers throughout art, history, and culture with Flower: Exploring the World in Bloom. The latest installment in the bestselling Explorer Series takes readers on a journey across continents and cultures to discover the endless ways artists and image-makers have employed floral motifs throughout history.

Showcasing the diversity of blooms from all over the world, Flower: Exploring the World in Bloom spans a wide range of styles and media — from art, botanical illustrations, and sculptures to floral arrangements, film stills, and textiles — and follows a visually stunning sequence with works, regardless of period, thoughtfully paired to allow interesting and revealing juxtapositions between them.

Flower: Exploring the World in Bloom celebrates mankind’s appreciation of floral beauty, widening and deepening this aspect of nature and is a must in every home.

THE DETAILS  

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Phaidon Editors (author). Phaidon Editors are grounded in both academic and professional expertise in a diverse range of subjects including art, architecture, cookery, and design. Working with a broad and diverse panel of contributors from around the world, Phaidon Editors have created many of Phaidon's classic publications, including 30,000 Years of Art, The Fashion Book, The Gardener's Garden, and the Atlas of Brutalist Architecture.

Shane Connolly (contributor) is the Royal Warrant Holder to HM The Queen and HRH The Prince of Wales. Born in Belfast I’ve been working in floral design since 1987, after a brief foray into research psychology.

Times were difficult in Northern Ireland, but I never forgot my early years. Although I was always interested in gardens and was given a small greenhouse when I was 12, boys did not do art at that time, so I thought psychology might be interesting.

A year later, an encounter with a flower arranger altered the course of my life forever and I worked for celebrated florist Pulbrook & Gould in London for two years before founding my own firm in 1989. Today, with the help of my wonderful team, I run Shane Connolly Flowers from a workshop and studio in West London.