Richard Leydier on Flowers as Hope in Lockdown

In a May 1 editorial for artpress, Richard Leydier reflects on the symbolic power of flowers during the COVID-19 lockdown, noting the irony of beautiful spring weather in Paris. He highlights several artists engaging with floral themes: Jim Dine's Botanical Drawings at Richard Gray Gallery in Chicago, which blend Renaissance herbarium tradition with anatomical precision and a hint of mortality; David Hockney's daily iPad drawings of spring from Normandy, including 'Do remember they can’t cancel the Spring' (a depiction of yellow daffodils), sent to Ruth Mackenzie at Théâtre du Châtelet; Damien Hirst's two-year series of impressionistic cherry blossom paintings created with a paint extender, originally slated for a summer exhibition at Fondation Cartier in Paris (now postponed); and Jeff Koons's 'Bouquet de Tulipes' sculpture on the Champs-Élysées, commemorating the 2015 Paris attacks, which faced controversy but now conveys hope. Leydier also mentions Benedetto Bufalino's digital project adding a second hand washing under a tap to Koons's sculpture, referencing pandemic hygiene gestures.