Red on Green is Anya Gallaccio's most famous work and has been extensively exhibited across the world. It was one of the first artworks acquired by the Hyman Collection in the 1990s.
It consists of ten thousand fragrant English tea roses. Ten thousand red roses are presented in a rectangle on a bed of their stalks. The title references the abstraction of Mark Rothko, whilst the passage of time transforms a symbol of romance into a memento mori. When first installed the work is a lush sea of red but over time the roses blacken and shrivel. A traditional vanitas subject is given an epic, contemporary remake.
Selected Exhibitions
Anya Gallaccio, Red on Green, Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), London, 1992.
Le Jardin de la Vierge, Musée Instumental, Brussels, 1993
Blast to Freeze: British Art in the 20th Century, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, 2002 - 2003
Turning Points: 20th Century British Sculpture, Museum of Contemporary Art in Tehran, Iran. 2004
of the Garden, Tate Britain, 2004
The Flower of Life, James Hyman Gallery, London, 2007
Red on Green, Jupiter Artland, Edinburgh, Scotland, 2012
Anya Gallaccio. Red on Green, Centre Pompidou, Metz, 2013 (installed off-site at Basilique Saint-Vincent, Metz)
Anya Gallaccio. Now. Scottish National Galleries, 2019