The Banksias: Watercolours by Celia Rosser

Internationally renowned botanical artist Celia Rosser worked exclusively on The Banksias Project, commissioned by Monash University, for 25 years. The results of her dedication—76 exquisitely detailed, life-size watercolours documenting all known species of banksias—were published in a three-volume work entitled The Banksias. This exhibition marked the first time that all of Celia Rosser’s extraordinary banksia watercolours, along with some preliminary sketches, were displayed in Victoria.

The coordinators of The Banksias Project have described Rosser as ‘a modern exponent of botanical art in the tradition of Parkinson and Bauer’, a judgement that was recognised at the highest level in 1997 when she became the first Australian to be awarded a Linnaeus Society medal for her contribution to botanical art. The Banksias: Watercolours by Celia Rosser from the Monash University Collection was a touring exhibition developed and managed by the Monash University Museum of Art.

Sourced from the State Library of Victoria, Melbourne.

^{Image: Celia Rosser, Banksia Aculeata 1992, watercolour on paper, 76 x 58 cm. Monash University Collection, Melbourne}