Solo exhibition “Picturesque Botany” at HG Fine Art, NYC April 16 – May 14, 2026
Julia Whitney Barnes
Picturesque Botany
April 16 – May 14, 2026
Opening reception: Wednesday, April 29, 5–7pm
Artist’s Talk: Saturday, May 9, 2pm
HG Fine Art is pleased to present Julia Whitney Barnes Picturesque Botany. This marks her first Manhattan solo exhibition. The artist creates lush botanical works that merge careful study with imaginative recombination. Cultivated and wild flora coexist without hierarchy, forming intricate arrangements that hover between documentation and invention. Beginning with unique cyanotype prints on watercolor paper, she builds her surfaces by painting numerous layers of watercolor, gouache, acrylic and ink, often integrating multiple plant species into a single composition. This exhibition incorporates elaborate handmade frames that were inspired by various historic framing motifs created in collaboration with Kurian & Co.
Though grounded in painting, Julia Whitney Barnes’s practice draws on a wide range of media, including printmaking, alternative process and installation, a breadth that informs the layered quality of these works. The results are richly detailed images that honor the floral tradition while expanding it, offering contemporary interpretations of a time-honored genre. Whitney Barnes received her BFA from Parsons School of Design and her MFA from Hunter College. After two decades in New York City, she has spent the past decade living in the Hudson Valley. Julia has exhibited widely in the United States and internationally, and her work has been featured in publications including The New York Times, American Art Collector Magazine, the cover of Chronogram, Hudson Valley Magazine, and Hyperallergic.
HG Fine Art is located at 764 Madison Avenue (between 65th & 66th Streets), New York, NY.
The opening reception is on Wednesday April 29th 5-7pm with an artist’s talk on Saturday, May 9th at 2pm. The gallery is open Fridays from 11am – 4pm and by appointment.
