The Toledo Museum of Art presents the first monographic exhibition of the eminent Dutch flower still life painter Rachel Ruysch (1664–1750). At a time when women’s access to careers as professional artists was severely limited, Ruysch nevertheless became highly successful and widely renowned. She was born into a well-to-do family and was the daughter of the renowned professor of anatomy and botany Frederik Ruysch, who apprenticed her to one of the premier flower still life painters of the day. She married a painter, had eleven children, became the first female member of the artist’s guild in The Hague and a court artist to one of the most important German nobles, won the lottery (twice!), was among the highest-paid artists of her time, and continued to paint until she was 83 years of age. Despite the great success she experienced during her lifetime, Ruysch has never received the attention she deserves. The exhibition explores her fascinating life and work for the first time and juxtaposes them with those of her sister Anna, who was an accomplished flower painter in her own right but is all but forgotten today.

The Toledo Museum of Art’s exhibition will bring together her most important works from European and American public and private collections, including works that have never been exhibited publicly as well as new discoveries. We invite you to discover Rachel Ruysch’s masterful brushwork, her illusionistic depictions of the natural world, the astonishing botanical diversity and teeming insect and animal life in her paintings, and how her works reflect the intersections between painting, nature, and science.

Exhibition organized by Toledo Museum of Art, Alte Pinakothek, Munich and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.