Karl Blossfeldt: Art Forms in Nature exhibition at OBS Gallery 

A Hayward Gallery Touring exhibition of close-up images of plants and flora by renowned German photographer Karl Blossfeldt is coming to Tonbridge’s OBS Gallery.

Karl Blossfeldt: Art Forms in Nature (Wundergarten der Natur) opens on Thursday 14 September and runs until Sunday 5 November.

The exhibition features an original portfolio of 40 photogravures from 1932, which were edited by the artist and published in the year of his death.

Blossfeldt (1865-1932) is regarded as one of the defining photographers of the 20th century for his exceptional contribution to the art through his intricate botanical photographs.

During his career, which spanned over three decades and included some 6,000 photographs, Blossfeldt developed homemade cameras and lenses which enabled him to magnify his subjects by up to 30 times.

In doing so, he captured the microcosmic aesthetic of his specimens and revealed the underlying structures of nature, which until then remained unexplored.

His photographs also became highly celebrated amongst early modernists and surrealists during the late 1920s.

There is free entry to the exhibition, which is open to the public between 12pm and 4pm most weekends. Please check the listings on the EM Forster Theatre site as, for example, the OBS Gallery is closed for events on Saturday 14 October and Saturday 28 October, and an Art Talk on Monday 16 October.

* Weekday visits can be booked with claire.hartwhite@tonbridge-school.org and free guided tours are available with the School’s Gallery Educator.

Other dates to note:
* An Art Talk by Gilly Fox, Hayward Gallery curator of Karl Blossfeldt: Art Forms in Nature, takes place on Monday 14 October, between 7pm and 8pm, in the School’s Barton Science Centre Atrium. The OBS Gallery will be open from 6.30pm and afterwards. This talk is free but places need to be booked via the the EM Forster Theatre.

* A Family ‘Drop-In’ Workshop, with sculptor Caroline Bugby, takes place on Sunday 29 October, between 12pm-4pm (no booking required).

* The Private View will be taking place on Thursday 14 September from 6.30pm to 8pm.

To find out more, see the Gallery’s Exhibitions page.

All images part of ‘Wundergarten der Natur’,1932
© Estate of Karl Blossfeldt
Courtesy Hayward Gallery Touring