‘Botany, the science of the vegetable kingdom, is one of the most attractive, most useful, and most extensive departments of human knowledge. It is, above every other, the science of beauty.’

– James Main, Popular Botany, 1835

Flowers in all their forms take centre stage in The Gorgeous Nothings: Flowers at Chatsworth, our 2025 exhibition in the house and garden.

The exhibition features both historical and contemporary works of art from the Devonshire Collections, and is supported by key loans from national and international museums, and new artist commissions.

Inspired by the estate itself, The Gorgeous Nothings builds on the work of an important lineage of landscape designers, gardeners, scientists and botanists who, over the last six centuries have planted, gathered, foraged, researched, collected and preserved an array of botanical treasures at Chatsworth, from rare botanical volumes and illustrated manuscripts in our library to coveted specimens in our garden and grounds.

The Gorgeous Nothings: Flowers at Chatsworth is curated by Allegra Pesenti and designed by Pippa Nissen from Nissen Richards Studio.

Artists:

Eileen Agar (1899-1991)

Ruth Asawa (1926-2013)

Anna Atkins (1799-1871)

Frank Bowling (1934- )

Chiara Camoni (1974- )

Dorothy Cross (1956- )

Maurizio Fioravanti (1970- )

Simryn Gill (1959- )

Gluck (1895-1978)

George Graham (1881-1949)

Donna Huddleston (1970- )

Elliott Hundley (1975- )

Konstantin Kakanias (1961- )

Kapwani Kiwanga ( 1978- )

Michael Landy (1963- )

Cecily Lasnet (2000- )

Liza Lou (1969- )

Jonas Mekas (1922-2019)

Alessandro Michele for Gucci (1972- )

Chris Ofili (1968- )

Alessandro Piangiamore (1976- )

Ana Prvacki (1976- )

Elias Sime (1968- )

Dorothea Tanning (1910-2012)

Emma Tennant (1943- )

Lilla Tabasso (1973- )

David Wiseman (1981- )