Shuttered Museums Are Sharing Flower-Inspired Artwork to Spread Beauty

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Left: Jan Brueghel the Elder, “Bouquet,” 1599 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons [Public Domain]) |
Right: Stock Photos from Pavel Mozharov/Shutterstock

While people around the world are practicing social distancing (aka physical distancing) and spending more time at home, museums are finding more ways of spreading beauty online. Since many famous institutions are currently closed to the public, coveted collections and exhibitions are now available to view through free virtual tours. Additionally, museums from around the globe recently began sending each other flower bouquets to encourage messages of positivity and support. Of course, these aren’t your ordinary, physical floral arrangements. They’re images of flowers depicted throughout art history—in paintings, drawings, renderings, and more.

The spring-inspired Twitter trend began with the New-York Historical Society and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. They tagged two fellow museums in tweets that featured historical still-life paintings of flowers with the hashtag #MuseumBouquet. This kind gesture was returned by the recipients with more flower-themed artwork, and soon over 300 museums were participating in the impromptu celebration. Art from dozens of different styles, time periods, and movements were shared—all united by the uplifting botanical theme. Featured among the eclectic thread is artwork by Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, to name only a few.

Thanks to the #MuseumBouquet Twitter trend, people’s feeds were suddenly filled with beautiful depictions of flowers, spreading much-needed loveliness around the world.

Museums around the world are sharing “bouquets” with one another to celebrate spring together even though their doors are currently closed.

Dear @americanart, we wanted to brighten your day with these apple blossoms by American painter Martin Johnson Heade.

🌷We hope this #MuseumBouquet makes you smile today! 😊 pic.twitter.com/d63vSZKWT5

— New-York Historical Society (@NYHistory) March 24, 2020

During these difficult times, we think everyone needs a dancing daisy to brighten their day. Today we’re sending a virtual #MuseumBouquet to you, @mitlistarts and @theDavisMuseum 🌼💐🌷

Jennifer Steinkamp. “Dance Hall Girl, daisies,” 2004. pic.twitter.com/BTAXyo1Up0

— MassArt Art Museum (@maamboston) March 24, 2020

Sending a #MuseumBouquet of roses to our friends @harvartmuseums and @ICAinBOSTON 🌹🌹🌹 We hope they brighten your day!

🎨: “Roses in a Glass Vase” (1890), Henri Fantin-Latour pic.twitter.com/sXVlTg99P2

— Museum of Fine Arts (@mfaboston) March 24, 2020

We’re sharing a #MuseumBouquet with our friends at the @FieldMuseum! These flowers are from Takashi Murakami’s “Flowers, flowers, flowers.” @takashipom
💐 Thanks to the @hirshhorn for getting this fun flower free-for-all started! pic.twitter.com/Gul7sqergO

— MCA Chicago (@mcachicago) March 24, 2020

Dear @americanart, we wanted to brighten your day with these apple blossoms by American painter Martin Johnson Heade.

🌷We hope this #MuseumBouquet makes you smile today! 😊 pic.twitter.com/d63vSZKWT5

— New-York Historical Society (@NYHistory) March 24, 2020

Brightening your timeline one #MuseumBouquet at a time! Sending these to our friends at @hirshhorn. 💐 https://t.co/MxCherINx5 pic.twitter.com/dSVoSRf8mO

— ClevelandArt (@ClevelandArt) March 24, 2020

Dear @BioDivLibrary,
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Your collections are 💯
And we 💙 you!#MuseumBouquet

🌼: Anne Pratt ➡️ https://t.co/AgvjURezfz pic.twitter.com/wEZRKOrv5x

— Field Museum (@FieldMuseum) March 24, 2020

Hello to our lovely friends @hirshhorn, we hope this Tiffany lamp #MuseumBouquet shines bright in your feed today. We’re thinking of you! 💐 pic.twitter.com/6r9L7f3ukz

— New-York Historical Society (@NYHistory) March 24, 2020

Sending a garden of flowers and lots of love to our Portrait Gallery friends @NPGLondon and @PortraitAu! 🌻 #MuseumBouquet 📷: https://t.co/YZQk4neOPT pic.twitter.com/O7jjaHeFkb

— National Portrait Gallery (@smithsoniannpg) March 24, 2020

To: @LACMA, @MOCAlosangeles, @hammer_museum, @gettymuseum

We hope this bright splash of color, courtesy of @JeffKoons, brightens your day 💐 #MuseumBouquet

Love,
All the staff at The Broad pic.twitter.com/elFZ0gzY36

— The Broad (@TheBroad) March 24, 2020

To our friends at @DallasMuseumArt: We hope this #MuseumBouquet of Morning Glories by Mattie Lou O’Kelley brings you joy! pic.twitter.com/pddmiJ9knW

— High Museum of Art (@HighMuseumofArt) March 24, 2020

Hey @MorganLibrary! We hope these #MuseumBouquet botanicals bring a smile to your face. (Don’t mind the stowaway Ruby Throated Hummingbird!) ♥️Hope to see you soon.

🎨John James Audubon pic.twitter.com/UWTsRem0xY

— New-York Historical Society (@NYHistory) March 24, 2020

We hope we’re not too late to the #MuseumBouquet party!

We’re sending this vibrant bunch by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner to @MuseumModernArt, @TheJewishMuseum, @Guggenheim, @NYHistory, @LACMA, @artinstitutechi, @MFABoston, and extending the love to all museums big and small! 🥰💐 pic.twitter.com/G3vDXfUlZP

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) March 24, 2020