A new art exhibition which captures the breathtaking world of Brazilian fauna promises to add an extra burst of colour to Kew Gardens this autumn.

The renowned British botanist Margaret Mee lived and worked in Brazil for 36 years, creating beautiful and intricate studies of tropical plants.

Titled The Amazon Collection, this is an exhibition of her original watercolours depicting the flamboyant plant life of Brazil.

Margaret Mee settled in Brazil in 1952. Her interest in botanical art was stimulated by her trips to the coastal forests around San Paulo.

In 1956, aged 46, she began the first of her 15 expeditions to the Amazon Basin where she sketched spectacular orchids, water lilies and other plants.

Her trips were fraught with danger and physical discomfort as she journeyed through the flooded forests in a small boat.

Yet her concern for the survival of the Amazon forest and its people was profound and she documented many of the changes to the forest flora during her trips.

Having survived many perilous journeys by boat, Margaret Mee died in a car crash in 1988.

The Margaret Mee Amazon Trust, was established to enable Kew Gardens to acquire 60 of her pictures, The Amazon Collection, together with her sketchbooks, some of which will also be on display.

Running parallel to the Margaret Mee exhibition is Tender Is The Night, featuring works by Kew's artist in residence Jo Self.

Earlier this year, an exhibition of her work helped raise more than 6, 000 towards the Millennium Seed Bank Project in Madagascar. Jo's work is a complete contrast to Margaret's; hers are not botanical records but expressionistic images.

Many of the works will be on sale and again the money raised will go towards Kew's conservation work in Madagascar.

Kew Gardens is open from 9.30am daily. For gallery opening times ring the please ring the visitor information line on 020 8332 5655.

October 23, 2001 17:30