Selby Gardens pairs Kusama and O’Keeffe for new exhibition series

For its latest exhibition pairing art work and nature, Selby Botanical Gardens is highlighting the work of two artists with vastly different styles but a personal connection in “Yayoi Kusama: A Letter to Georgia O’Keeffe.”

The show, which runs Feb. 11-June 30, is the eighth edition of the Jean and Alfred Goldstein Exhibition series, which has previously featured work by such noted artists as Mark Chagall, Andy Warhol, Paul Gauguin, Salvador Dali, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith and last year’s focus on the glass work of Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Each year, the gardens pairs original paintings, prints or other art work, along with historical memorabilia about the artists displayed in its Museum of Botany and the Arts, while the green house conservatory and part of the grounds are transformed with horticultural displays that reflect the artists’ work in flowers and plants.

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Kusama, known for the polka dots that dominate her paintings, sculptures and immersive displays, will be represented by two pieces in the museum. They are matched with photographs by O’Keeffe, a landscape a photo of a flower, plus a portrait of the artist taken by her photographer husband, Alfred Stieglitz, according to David Berry, vice president for visitor engagement and chief museum curator for Selby.

There is a personal connection between the two artists. Kusama grew up in Japan and sought advice from other artists. Among them was O’Keeffe, who encouraged to Kusama to pursue her career in New York.

One of the major pieces of Kusama’s that will be on display is “Infinity of Dots,” a four-panel painting that was displayed by The Ringling in 2019 and is a promised gift to the museum from Selby trustee Keith D. Monda. The museum has made it available to Selby for the show.

Berry said the horticultural displays will play off the style and history of the two artists without trying to mimic what they did with polka dots, flowers and landscapes.

“Yayoi Kusama: A Letter to George O’Keeffe’ is included in regular admission to Selby Gardens, 1534 Mound St., Sarasota. 941-366-5731; selby.org

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Yayoi Kusama and Georgia O’Keeffe on display at Selby Gardens