The Beauty of Passing. Contemporary Botanical Illustration

A small display in a case in the palace basement, on view only until 26 September 2026. If you are heading to Wilanów in September it is a few minutes on the way - not a trip of its own.

The Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów on the exhibition:

There are things we do not notice until we learn to look more closely. In the transformation of nature there is a story about time. We invite you to an exhibition of works by Izabela Wolska-Kuśmider.

Every spring we marvel at young leaves. In summer they become almost invisible to us - they form the background of the landscape, obvious and unchanging. In autumn they briefly draw the eye again with a blaze of colour, only to vanish underfoot a few days later. It seems their story lasts a single season. And yet every leaf lives a life of its own. It is born, matures, changes, ages and departs. In this seemingly ordinary transformation there is a story about time.

The works presented in the exhibition grow out of that tradition but take it in a new direction. They do not show a perfect specimen. They are not about botany. They are about transformation. Each leaf is shown at a precisely chosen moment of its existence. Some are only unfolding towards the light. Others have reached the fullness of life. Others still bear the marks of rain, insects, wind or the first cold. The plants used to create all of the works come from the historic gardens surrounding the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów.

What to expect

The display sits in the palace basement, in an exhibition case beside the bookshop, and is included in the palace ticket. Open during palace hours, self-guided. The works are in watercolour, graphite and ink. Mind the dates: this one runs only until 26 September 2026, far shorter than Wilanów’s other temporary shows.

Tickets and opening hours are on the museum’s website.

Museum profile: Wilanów Palace.