Art in Bloom

April 7–10, 2022

Welcome the return of Art in Bloom at the Museum this April, and see spring come alive!

This popular community event transforms the entire Museum for four days of art and flowers. Bring friends and family and explore the collection galleries to see what paintings, sculptures, and other works top regional designers have interpreted. Discover their breathtaking, art-inspired arrangements, and treat yourself to the colors and aromas of spring.

Past floral displays have interpreted, for example, Nick Cave’s Soundsuit and Jules Bastien-Lepage’s painting Le Père Jacques (The Wood Gatherer). The arrangement pictured above, from the 2019 event, was inspired by Henry Vianden’s Landscape with Mountains and River.

Kids and families will have the opportunity to make their own floral-like creations in the Kohl’s Art Studio. The event is one that truly all ages will enjoy!

Check back here in late January for ticket information and event updates.

Image: Photo by Front Room Studios; arrangement by Metro Market Downtown

Past Floral Arrangements

Reminisce on previous years, as you explore photographs of the stunning, art-inspired arrangements that were on display at the last three Art in Bloom events.

2019

Light blue, pink, and yellow flowers in a woven basket

2018

Green and white arrangement on top of glass

2017

Flowers in Art at the Milwaukee Art Museum

“Throughout history, artists have been drawn to flowers for their natural beauty and their symbolism. Flowers have been used as the primary subject of a painting, as details within a larger image, and as motifs on decorative art objects. Many artworks in the Museum’s collection feature flowers. Explore a few of them below, and click through to read the accompanying blog posts.” —Catherine Sawinski, assistant curator of European art

Richard Earlom’s Temple of Flora

Orange and yellow flowers on a rocky backdrop

Richard Earlom, after Philip Reinagle, The Superb Lily, published June 1, 1799. Color aquatint, etching, stipple, and mezzotint with hand coloring, varnished. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William F. Pabst Jr. and Mr. and Mrs. Harry Starr III in memory of Mrs. Carl Eberbach, M1973.100. Photo by John R. Glembin.

Maria-Theresia van Thielen’s Still Life with Parrot

Parrot sitting on a column pecking at a floral arrangement

Maria-Theresia van Thielen, Still Life with Parrot, 1661. Oil on canvas. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John Schroeder in memory of their parents, M1967.41.

Antonio Mancini’s On the Eve of Her Wedding

Young woman leaning over the top of a chair

Antonio Mancini, On the Eve of Her Wedding, ca. 1882. Oil on canvas. Gift of Mrs. S. S. Merrill, M1919.33. Photo by John Glembin.

Antiveduto Gramatica’s St. Dorothy

Antiveduto Gramatica, St. Dorothy, late 16th–early 17th century. Oil on canvas. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Alfred Bader, M1971.23. Photo by John R. Glembin.

Severin Roesen’s Still Life

Assortment of flowers and fruit on a countertop

Severin Roesen, Still Life, ca. 1852. Oil on canvas. Gift of Anita Vogel Hinrichs in memory of Ferdinand Hinrichs, M1988.133. Photo by Dedra Walls.

Catherine Lusurier’s Charlotte-Françoise DeBure

Child with her hair in a ribbon picking up flowers from a basket

Catherine Lusurier, Charlotte-Françoise DeBure, 1776. Oil on canvas. Bequest of Arthur & Noryne Riebs, M1959.80. Photo by Larry Sanders.

Zulma Steele’s Chest

Brown, wooden chest with an orange and yellow pattern on the front

Zulma Steele, Chest, ca. 1904. Produced at Byrdcliffe Colony, Woodstock, New York. Poplar and original copper hardware. Layton Art Collection, L1993.5.1. Photo by Efraim Lev-er.

Cyril Colnik’s Hanging Basket

Dark red vase hanging in a floral wire frame

Cyril Colnik, Hanging Basket, ca. 1900. Iron, glass. Purchase, with funds from the American Arts Society, M2012.299a–d.