The Society of the Four Arts Unveils Rory McEwen Works

The Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach recently unveiled “Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature,” on view through March 30 in the Esther B. O’Keeffe Building. Presented in association with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London and Oak Spring Garden Foundation, an estate of the late Rachel Lambert Mellon in Virginia, the exhibition and its programming will highlight the vibrant and varied career of the renowned Scottish artist.

McEwen began his creative journey in Scotland as a musician. In 1956, McEwen and his brother, Alexander, toured the United States and appeared on the Sullivan Show. In Britain, McEwen was a key figure in the British Folk movement and hosted a national television show influencing a new generation of musicians. However, McEwen’s gift for painting surpassed even these remarkable accomplishments in the music industry.

“Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature” focuses on McEwen’s hyper-realistic watercolor paintings of plants. Bringing a modern sensibility to botanical art, McEwen developed a distinctive style, painting on vellum and using large empty backgrounds on which his plant portraits seem to float. Executed in exact, minutely accurate detail, he recorded the imperfect and the unique, as well as the flawless.

Exhibition hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, and Wednesdays through Saturdays,  and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Tuesdays are reserved for Four Arts members from 1 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $10.

For more information about the exhibit and its programming, visit fourarts.org.