Gardens of the Alhambra exhibition set to dazzle New York

From 21 May to 21 August, the New York Botanical Garden will be home to an exhibition that will recreate the architecture and gardens of the Alhambra in New York, with fountains, arcades, cypress, pomegranate and palm groves, and other characteristic elements of the Alhambra. The exhibition, Spanish paradise: the Gardens of the Alhambra, was commissioned by acclaimed landscaper Penelope Hobhouse, who specialises in historic gardens. Hobhouse’s best-known projects include the Country Garden for the Royal Horticultural Society en Wisley and a garden created specially for German fashion designer Jil Sander.
Benefiting from the vast experience of Francisca P. Coelho, as associate vice president for hothouses and exhibitions with the New York Botanical Gardens and as commissioner of projects for the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the exhibition promises to be a unique event in New York cultural life.
The exhibition will also include a series of activities designed to bring Spanish culture to the New York public. One of the most interesting will be a reading of the Federico García Lorca in the Botanical Gardens themselves. Many of his poems refer directly to the flora and the environment of the Alhambra, as recreated along the route.
There will also be talks and readings of the accounts that many famous travellers, including Washington Irving, have written on the Alhambra. The Hispanic Society of America will contribute to the event by loaning watercolours, historical photographs, pictures and drawings, as another doorway into the Spanish paradise of the Alhambra. These will be on view at the William D. Rondina and Giovanni Foroni LoFaro Gallery at the LuEsther T. Mertz library.
A parallel series of Special Programs has been scheduled for those sectors of the public less interested in the intellectual aspects of the exhibition. These will include Flamenco among the flowers in the Conservatory Courtyard and demonstrations for private gardens involving a discussion on the characteristics of Islamic gardens and a study of the plants selected for the Alhambra gardens in the 14th century.
Other events will feature the cuisine of the epoch, with tasting sessions and presentations of essential Andalusian ingredients, such as almonds, lemons and olives.