Edward Steichen and the Garden

“I claim that the flower is a work of art”

—Edward Steichen, New York Horticultural Society lecture, 1937

Over a professional life spanning seven decades, Edward Steichen (1879–1973) established himself as one of the most important figures in the history of photography. What is less known is that for much of that time Steichen also devoted himself to the nurturing of plants and gardens, an activity that sustained him and through which he developed ardently held beliefs regarding the relationship among art, nature, and creativity.

Steichen’s creative evolution was tightly bound to his spiritual engagement with nature as well as his more pragmatic explorations of plant genetics and hybridization. Through his development of original varieties of the genus Delphinium, Steichen argued and demonstrated that plant breeding was a creative art form. His results as a horticulturalist were so exquisite that they were famously exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in 1936, which led to him being considered the greatest delphinium breeder in the United States by the international horticultural community.

Edward Steichen and the Garden and the accompanying book provide a portrait of the artist through the lens of the garden. The exhibition draws from the George Eastman Museum's significant archive of Edward Steichen's work to present the story of Steichen's ardent response to nature. Objects from the Eastman Museum are presented alongside significant loans from public and private collections, including Art Bridges, the Block Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Phillips Collection, and the Sheldon Museum of Art. Together, the objects represent Steichen's lifelong engagement with the garden through his work as a photographer, painter, and plant breeder.

This exhibition celebrates Steichen’s story—one that foregrounds the curative power of gardens, the creativity fostered through cultivating plants, and the interconnectedness of humans, the earth, and all that grows here.

Curated by Sarah Anne McNear.

Special thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, the Rubens Family Foundation, with additional support from Susan and Nathan Robfogel.