‘Bouquets to Art’ Returns to de Young, Pairing High-Concept Floral Arrangements With Works on Display

The de Young Museum will be bursting with blossoms once again this week at its annual Bouquets to Art display and fundraiser—which returns at full scale after a hybrid affair last year.

Now in its 38th year, the perennial philanthropic event and floral showcase from June 7 to 12 features elaborate displays of blooms inspired by the de Young’s collection and crafted by over 100 Bay Area florists. The fantastic floral arrangements take over the museum’s many galleries—and some are even tucked into the bathrooms. 

“So pretty much everywhere you'll go, you'll see a beautiful bouquet,” said Shaquille Heath, manager of communications at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, which includes the de Young. 

The centerpiece of this year’s event is local artist Windy Chien’s Ghost Dragon, a large-scale, knotted, aerial work which will hang in the de Young’s Wilsey Court with floral elements by Los Angeles-based botanical artist, Jason Lloyd, interwoven into the design. The piece, which resembles an abstract white dragon, is a response to Wilsey Court’s anchoring artwork Resident Alien, a massive painting by late Chinese American artist Hung Liu of her green card.

Additional plant-based programming may pique the interest of those who developed a green thumb during the pandemic. Master florists Remco van Vliet and Gregor Lersch stop by this week to discuss creative and sustainable flower design.  De Young Assistant Curator of American Art Lauren Palmor discusses and signs her book Bouquets of Art: A Flower Dictionary from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco on Wednesday, June 8, at 10 a.m. And, best-selling author and queen of  boho chic design empire Jungalow Justina Blakeney discusses “botanicals as materials, muse and magic” in her talk and book signing. on Thursday, June 9, at 5 p.m. Tickets are $55 for these special programs and include admission to Bouquets to Art and the special exhibition Alice Neel: People Come First. 

General admission to Bouquets to Art, which includes access to the Alice Neel exhibition, is $35.

Whether it’s your first time to Bouquets to Art or an annual tradition that you’re returning to, the de Young hopes to inspire those who visit during this special time of year.

“We're always excited for people to come and look at our permanent collection through a different lens,” said Heath. “The great thing about art is once you have a different viewpoint or a different lens into it, then it really can change how you see something. And I think that these bouquets really add that extra vision and another dimension.”

Bouquets to Art 2022 

De Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park
June 7 - 12 | $35+