Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World
Experience the wonder of nature through the eyes of artists. Look closely at art depicting insects and other animals alongside real specimens.
Art played a pivotal role during the dawn of European natural history in the 16th and 17th centuries. Advancements in scientific technology, trade, and colonial expansion allowed naturalists to study previously unknown and overlooked insects, animals, and other beestjes, or 鈥渓ittle beasts.鈥� Artists such as Joris Hoefnagel and Jan van Kessel helped deepen and spread knowledge of these creatures with highly detailed and playful works that inspired generations of printmakers, painters, decorative artists, and naturalists.
A delight for all ages, this exhibition features nearly 75 of these paintings, prints, and drawings in a unique presentation alongside specimens and taxidermy from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Learn about the rich exchange between artists and naturalists that sparked a fascination with earth鈥檚 living creatures, big and small. See how this intersection of art and science continues to inspire us today in a new film by artist Dario Robleto.
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Experience the wonder of nature through the eyes of artists. Look closely at art depicting insects and other animals alongside real specimens.
Art played a pivotal role during the dawn of European natural history in the 16th and 17th centuries. Advancements in scientific technology, trade, and colonial expansion allowed naturalists to study previously unknown and overlooked insects, animals, and other beestjes, or 鈥渓ittle beasts.鈥� Artists such as Joris Hoefnagel and Jan van Kessel helped deepen and spread knowledge of these creatures with highly detailed and playful works that inspired generations of printmakers, painters, decorative artists, and naturalists.
A delight for all ages, this exhibition features nearly 75 of these paintings, prints, and drawings in a unique presentation alongside specimens and taxidermy from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Learn about the rich exchange between artists and naturalists that sparked a fascination with earth鈥檚 living creatures, big and small. See how this intersection of art and science continues to inspire us today in a new film by artist Dario Robleto.
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Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World pairs nearly 75 prints, drawings, and paintings with around 60 objects from the NMNH collection.
Back in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries, animals conjured a remarkable sense of wonder. It was an era of unprecedented exploration, where scientific technology, trade, and colonial expansion led to the study of previously unknown or overlooked species.
The National Gallery of Art opened Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World, an exhibition exploring the rich exchange between artists and naturalists at the dawn of European natural history.
Works by the Flemish artists Joris Hoefnagel and Jan van Kessel, among others, charm audiences with their enchanting depictions of nature鈥檚 鈥渓ittle beasts鈥�.
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