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Vladimir Kanevsky's Porcelain Flowers Bloom at Hillwood

Hillwood's mansion will burst into bloom this winter with a garden of everlasting botanicals.

From February 13 through June 6, 2021, contemporary artist Vladimir Kanvesky's exquisite flower sculptures will spring to life throughout Hillwood's mansion for the special exhibition The Porcelain Flowers of Vladimir Kanevsky.

Kanevsky has said, "there is everything in flowers—history, drama, structure, beauty, and fragrance," a sentiment Hillwood founder Marjorie Post knew well. Post surrounded herself with flowers, creating impressive gardens at her homes and filling the houses with luscious arrangements.

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Courtesy of Vladimir Kanvesky
Courtesy of Vladimir Kanvesky

Inspired by flowers grown throughout Post's gardens at Hillwood, including camellias, tulips, and dahlias, Kanevsky's sculptures will take the place of these live arrangements, bursting with color in the dining room, breakfast room, pavilion, French drawing room, and Post's bedroom suite.

Featuring nearly 35 works, the exhibition is next in a series of collaborations with contemporary artists, such as Bouke de Vries in 2019, Philip Haas in 2016, and Isabel de Borchgrave in 2013.

About the Artist

Born in Ukraine and now based on Fort Lee, New Jersey, Vladimir Kanevsky first began a career as an architect before emigrating to the United States in 1989. His foray into porcelain started with a tableware project for designer Howard Slatkin, producing a melon in the style of an 18th-century porcelain tureen. Fascinated by botany since childhood, Kanevsky swiftly transitioned to creating flowers in this new medium. "I like flowers because they have a logical structure to them," he explained, "It's like architecture." Each flower is sculpted by hand—pieces are shaped, painted, fired, and assembled, petal by petal.

Among Kanevsky's notable accomplishments are an eleven-piece collaboration with the Miessen Porcelain Manufactory in 2012 and a 2017 exhibition at the State Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. His major collectors include Deeda Blair, Charlotte Moss, Carolyne Roehm, and Alberto Pinto.

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens is located at 4155 Linnean Ave NW