Exhibitions
When plants speak: the plant symbolism that transforms art
At the CaixaForum in Girona, an exhibition that reveals how flowers, gardens and gardeners construct meanings, stories and emotions in artistic history.
Between March 25 and August 23, 2026, CaixaForum Girona hosts the exhibition Botany in Art. Plants in the Collections of the Prado Museum , a proposal that invites visitors to rediscover the role of the plant world in the history of art from an innovative and contemporary perspective.
Organized in collaboration with the Museo Nacional del Prado, the exhibition brings together works that demonstrate the extent to which botany and artistic creation have been historically intertwined. Far from considering plants as simple decorative elements, the exhibition highlights their symbolic and narrative value, showing how they can reveal political, religious or emotional messages hidden in the works.
Antonio Muñoz Degrain, The Moroccan Scouts, around 1879. Oil on canvas © Museo Nacional del Prado.
The beauty of plants and flowers has imbued the works of artists with vitality and color throughout the centuries. This exhibition goes beyond their aesthetic dimension to delve into the richness and complexity of their artistic representation.
Through a careful tour, the deep symbolic charge of the plant world is discovered, capable of telling stories and reinforcing discourses of a political, religious or historical nature. Plants not only embellish the compositions, but also contribute nuances, qualities and meanings that broaden the interpretation of the works.
The exhibition also looks towards gardens and gardeners —true creators and, in many cases, artists in their own right—, recurring figures in the history of art who contribute to constructing these spaces full of symbolism and imagination.
The exhibition path directs attention to details often ignored: flowers, trees and plant motifs that, when carefully analyzed, transform the reading of the pieces. This renewed look aligns with current sensibilities such as ecological awareness and is proposed as a tool to combat the so-called “plant blindness”, that is, the tendency not to perceive the importance of plants in our environment.
Carlos de Haes, A Palm Forest (Elche), circa 1861. Oil on paper pasted on cardboard © Museo Nacional del Prado© Museo Nacional del Prado.
One of the most outstanding aspects is the dialogue between art and science. The botanical photographs by Paula Codoñer allow the species represented to be identified with precision, facilitating a richer and more didactic experience. In addition, the exhibition incorporates olfactory stations that recreate aromas inspired by the works, expanding the visit towards a multisensory dimension.
With a selection of around fifty works from the Prado, the exhibition is organized into several sections that explore plant symbolism throughout the centuries, highlighting that plants not only decorate, but also tell stories and construct meaning.
Jan Brueghel the Elder; Hendrik de Clerck, Abundance and the Four Elements, 1606. Oil on copper © Museo Nacional del Prado.
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