I WAS UNCERTAIN about visiting the current exhibition at Kettles Yard in Cambridge. Called “Handpicked: Painting Flowers from 1900 to Today”, it is showing until 6 September 2026. Having seen its name, I assumed that the show would have little to interest me. How wrong I was.

The exhibition is a collection of images of flowers, mostly paintings. But they are not any old floral paintings but works by great artists, for example: Vanessa Bell, Chris Ofili, Eric Ravilious, Henri Rousseau, David Bomberg, Eduoard Vuillard, Lubaina Hamid, … and many more. In addition to works by well-known artists, there were many competently executed, attractive works by amateur local artists.

Each of the works by the professional artists were well labelled with short explanatory notes. The pictures were beautifully displayed. It was interesting to read what had inspired the artists to choose flowers as subject matter. In many cases, it was not simply the beauty of the flora, but some deeper messages that the artists wanted to convey.

I am very glad I viewed this exhibition, which I was at first hesitant about visiting because of its title. If you are in Cambridge or nearby, this is a show not to be missed.