The day before Valentine’s Day 2021, the Downtown Sarasota, Florida, campus of the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens unveiled its latest exhibition — Roy Lichenstein: Monet’s Garden Goes Pop! The exhibit is running until June 27, so for those who may have plans to visit Sarasota between now and then, you should definitely add it to your itinerary!

Nestled right on Sarasota Bay, Selby Gardens features more than nine acres of flora from around the world. Patrons can walk the span of the gardens, passing koi ponds, tropical flora, desert plants, massive banyan trees and even a selection of bonsai varieties. I honestly never knew there were so many!

The Lichtenstein-Monet exhibit sources its inspiration from Lichtenstein’s fascination with Monet’s paintings from his home in Giverny, a village in France. The historical Selby house is currently hosting Lichtenstein’s lesser-known works, Haystacks and Water Lilies, his Pop Art interpretations of Monet’s works completed almost a century prior.

Many features have been added to the grounds for the exhibit, from Pop Art water lilies placed in koi ponds throughout to a recreation of Monet’s Giverny home and a live recreation of Monet’s Japanese Bridge that patrons could walk over, providing a truly immersive experience in the art.

My fiancé and I enjoyed surveying the horticultural wonderland that is the historical Selby Gardens. As an avid lover of the arts and all things botanical, Selby Gardens provided an ultimate weekend excursion for me. We will definitely return for future exhibitions!

— Amanda Jones, account executive