Plantae 2025 - 40th Anniversary Exhibition by the Society of Botanical Artists

For all those interested in botanical art, I've been immersed in Plantae 2025 for the last couple of weeks. This was the 40th Anniversary Exhibition at the Mall Galleries by the Society of Botanical Artists.

Some of the hardworking and amazing team of SBA members who made it all happen

Botanical art largely disappeared off this blog 10 years ago after I developed my Botanical Art and Artists website - which is now #1 in the world for botanical art (coming up to 4 million visits). However I remind people reading this blog about it from time to time! Not least because of the very skilled paintings and drawings produced by very many botanical artists

Plantae 2025 - the Society of Botanical Artists' 40th Anniversary Exhibition

I've compiled various photo albums on Facebook and written three blog posts about it.

These are the blog posts 

Pretty much the same thing as I do for other societies exhibiting at the Mall - with a bit more detail.

• A look back at Plantae 2025 - a 40th anniversary exhibition to remember! (5th June 2025)
• SBA Plantae 2025: Awards and Certificates + Photos (6th June 2025) - so many prizes and awards! Including my own Making A Mark Award.
• SBA Plantae 2025: pricing for botanical artists (11th June 2025) - which looks at their exhibition metrics - and how to improve them.

You can find the albums of photos on my Botanical Art and Artists Facebook Page

• SBA Plantae 2025 - West Gallery (53 items)
• SBA Plantae 2025 - North Gallery (54 items)
• SBA Plantae 2025 - East Gallery (DLDC / CPGFS / Munstead Wood etc.) (18 items)
• SBA Plantae 2025 - Awards and people with artwork (47 items)

Which have had the most amazing reception internationally.....

The Coronation Portraits and The King's Tour Artists - at Buckingham Palace

Charles III and Camilla - the Coronation Portraits

This post is about:

• my comments on the Coronation Portraits
• how to see the Coronation Portraits in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace
• a new exhibition in the Throne Room about those artists who have been commissioned to go on an official tour with King Charles (or Prince of Wales as he was then) - and the artwork they have produced. Which I may well visit as he has a good choice in artists who have accompanied him in the past

The Coronation Portraits

I said on Facebook that I'd leave comments until I had seen them up closely - and now I have!

Last week, I visited the National Gallery - ostensibly to see the new entrance. I'd completely forgotten that the Coronation Portraits were on display - so coming across them was something of a surprise.

I have also posted my photos in a post on Facebook so if you want to see larger versions of the images in this post, that's where to go.

Otherwise, if you want to see them, you now need to visit the Throne Room in Buckingham Palace when the tours of the Palace reopen on 10th July (until 28th September). Whatever you do, do NOT get tickets from third parties which are often much more expensive. Instead click the link above which takes you direct to the Royal Collection Page and the basic cost of tickets which are not cheap - but not excessive as third party ones are.

Tickets also give you access to the exhibition in the throne room of 70 paintings executed by artists who have accompanied the King over the course of the last 40 years when he has been on Royal Tours. Of which more below.....

The Coronation Portraits

The Coronation Portraits in the National Gallery

What do I think of the Coronation Portraits? Pretty much the same as most people

• two different styles - but within the range acceptable for royal portraits i.e. realistic and a bit painterly
• hers is better than his
• there is something wrong with the proportions in the King's portrait
• the symbolism within the portraits is interesting

The main point to make is we are of course talking about PAINTED portraits of the individuals in their coronation robes. It's much more usual these days, for portraits to be photographic ones. Indeed the most famous one of Queen Elizabeth II was a photographic portrait by Cecil Beaton who produced a masterful image.

Different styles

The two different styles thing is easy to accommodate. 

Selected Artists for Portrait Award 2025 at the National Portrait Gallery

46 portraits have been selected for the HSFK Portrait Award 2025 at the National Portrait Gallery. Want to see some of them before the exhibition opens? READ ON!

Those selected for inclusion in the exhibition were chosen from 1,314 submissions entered by artists from 60 countries.   

For me, it just goes to show how changing the people doing the selection changes the focus and the preferences of those judging. Many of the names I'm used to seeing on a fairly regular basis have not been selected - although some have. 

Those that are here again are very good. However, I think it might be the lowest number of previous exhibitors for some time.

We'll have to wait until the exhibition to see whether the choices made make for a better exhibition than usual - or otherwise!

The Portrait Award exhibition is at the National Portrait Gallery in London from 10 July - 12 October 2025. It used to travel but I think that has stopped with the change in sponsor.

I do this preview of who gets selected to help those who will be applying next year.

• the link in their name is to their website
• plus I include their Instagram account where identifiable
• I embed Instagram posts of their artwork where possible.

It follows on my post Shortlist for the £66K HSFK Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery - and I have not repeated information about the artists shortlisted for prizes in this post.

 

I've been reviewing this exhibition on Making A Mark since 2006 and I'll be at the Awards Ceremony in July. I'll also be publishing a review of the exhibition and pics of artists with their paintings. For all those artists who want a pic with their painting in this blog, make sure you find me on at the press review the following morning!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Artists who describe themselves as "shortlisted" for this exhibition - but who are not listed in my previous post are deceiving themselves and others. It makes you look amateurish. The only artists "shortlisted" are those who will win a prize. Everybody else is SELECTED.

Selected Artists Portrait Award 2025

Images being used to advertise the Portrait Award Exhibition
- which is a prize in itself!

The selected artists exhibiting in THE Portrait Award are, in alphabetical order:

Shortlist for the £66K HSFK Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery

This is about the three artists shortlisted for the 43rd edition of its prestigious annual Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London. 

The three shortlisted portraits are:

• Cliff, Outreach Worker (2024) by Tim Benson
• A Life Lived (2024) by Moira Cameron
• Memories (2024) by Martyn Harris

....of which more below 

(PS I've been distracted by other things going on for some days hence why this is late.)

This year’s shortlist was 

• selected from over 1,314 anonymous entries from around the world, 
• with 46 portraits in total chosen for final display 
• in a free exhibition open from 10 July to 12 October 2025

Since its inception, the competition has attracted over 40,000 entries from more than 100 countries and the exhibition has been seen by over 6 million people.

Prizes are:

• 1st prize of £35,000
• 2nd prize winner will receive £12,000 
• 3rd prize winner will receive £10,000
• the winner of the Young Artist Award will receive £9,000. This award aims to profile talent and help support the career development of a young artist.

A commission will also be awarded to an artist in a new arrangement which I very much like. My guess is it will significantly help the commission team when trying to match sitter to artist. It's always been the case in the past that those who have exhibited in the Portrait Award might be asked to do a commission.

• this is now a bi-annual award, 
• all artists chosen to exhibit in 2024 and 2025’s Portrait Award exhibitions will be considered for this commission.

Judges included:

• Professor Dorothy Price FBA - art historian and academic at The Courtauld Institute of Art;
• Maggi Hambling - visual artist; (her portraits for the NPG include one of my favourites Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin)
• Peter Brathwaite - opera singer, artist and writer; 
• Rosie Broadley - Joint-Head of Curatorial and Senior Curator of 20th Century Collections at the National Portrait Gallery
• Rosie Wilson - NPG Director of Programmes and Partnerships, 

An Abundance of Botanical Art over the next few weeks

This last few weeks, last weekend in particular and the next few weeks from the end of May through June are - for me - dominated by BOTANICAL ART.  

This post is about a very busy time for botanical art and artists - and me - with three major exhibitions (two in London) involving international botanical artists and illustrators during May, June and July.

So far we've been 

• celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society (CPGFS) - of which I'm the Treasurer - and holding the AGM (Accounts and Treasurer's Report)
• getting ready for the a display by CPGFS at the exhibition for the 40th anniversary of the Society of Botanical Artists (see below)

Botanical Art Worldwide 2025

Last weekend was The Worldwide Day of Botanical Art - with lots going on around the world. I was at Kew Gardens. (see Over 1,000 attend Worldwide Day of Botanical Art 2025 at Kew Gardens)

View of the part of the activities in the Nash Conservatory at Kew Gardens last Sunday

 

These three are multiple RHS Gold Medal winners

and renowned botanical artists and teachers

About to give the final talk of the day at Kew last Sunday

(L to R) Lucy T Smith, Scientific Botanical Illustrator at Kew Gardens and author of Botanical Sketchbooks: An Artist's Guide to Plant Studies

Ann Swan, a legend in botanical art in coloured pencils, so many people have been taught by her

Julia Trickey who developed a completely novel response during Covid and Julia Trickey Talks just seems to get bigger and better!

This week I've been putting a new page together for my Botanical Art and Artists website covering The Second World Wide Exhibition of Botanical Art 2025. 

• 31 countries around the world - in North and South America, East and West Europe, Africa, Australasia and Asia - all got together and coordinated a celebration of botanical art at the same time
• all celebrating with events and activities on The Worldwide Day of Botanical Art on Sunday 18th May 2025
• organised by a number of botanical art societies and other groups - led and managed predominantly by women (Yay!)
• see Botanical Art Worldwide 2025 - Exhibitions and Events in the UK
• SUMMARISED by me on ONE PAGE of my website!! (See link above. It took 3 days!)

All the Countries participating in Botanical Art Worldwide 2025
- with new countries this year highlighted

Plantae 2025 - Annual Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists

Next week sees the opening of Plantae 2025 - the Annual Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists - in all three galleries of the Mall Galleries. 

It opens to the public on 28th May and continues daily until 7th June 2025. (10am - 5pm)