The exhibition Marie of Romania: Artist Queen. A Floral Conversation has opened at the King Charles III House in the Transylvanian village of Viscri, bringing to Romania the project first presented in London. The exhibition explores the artistic legacy of Queen Marie and her deep connection to the flora of her adopted country.

The exhibition, developed by the Romanian Cultural Institute, highlights the work of Queen Marie of Romania, who created a series of floral albums between 1897 and 1906, combining botanical illustrations with literary excerpts in several languages, influenced by Symbolism and Art Nouveau.

“Arriving in Romania in 1893, following her marriage to Crown Prince Ferdinand, Queen Marie developed a deep connection with the landscape and flora of her new country. Between 1897 and 1906, she created a series of albums in which she paired wild and garden flowers with verses by her favourite authors, in English, French, German, and Romanian, using a visual language influenced by Symbolism and Art Nouveau,” reads the press release. 

Two of these albums are presented in the exhibition as high-quality reproductions.

The Queen’s works are displayed alongside selections from the Transylvania Florilegium, a botanical collection associated with King Charles III, creating a dialogue between two royal perspectives on Romania’s rich biodiversity, separated by more than a century.

“As someone who’s always thought about Queen Marie’s paintings from a visual and historical angle, it’s been fascinating to work with the eminent botanist Dr John Akeroyd to learn more about the flowers that Queen Marie chose to depict. In addition to garden and hothouse flowers, she clearly had a love for Carpathian wildflowers, likely encouraged by King Ferdinand’s erudite understanding of botany. In some cases, identifying the flowers in her albums has also helped us to pinpoint the time of year and even the location where she made individual paintings,” said Dr Shona Kallestrup, curator of the exhibition.

The exhibition is open to the public at The King’s House, Viscri, until June 7. On June 1, Dr Shona Kallestrup will deliver, within the exhibition, a presentation titled Marie of Romania: Artist Queen. The curator will speak about Queen Marie’s floral paintings in the broader context of her distinctive designs for royal interiors, costumes, and furniture.

The itinerary of the exhibition will continue with displays in Bucharest and Sheffield (United Kingdom), before reaching Coburg (Germany) in 2027, the city where Queen Marie spent her childhood.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: the organizers)