If you thought sketch London couldn’t get any prettier, think again. One of the city’s most Insta-famous places, the renowned ‘destination for experimentation’ and iconic Grade ll* listed building once housed the esteemed Royal Institute of British Architects and the London atelier of Christian Dior. And last year, it was rated second in a list of the planet’s most beautiful businesses, coming behind only Boekhandel Dominicanen, a Dutch bookshop in Maastricht that sits in a medieval church.

But head into sketch this month and be mesmerised by its current adornments – as it is currently hosting the 10th edition of ‘sketch in Bloom’, this time titled ‘National Treasures’ as a celebration of the 200th anniversary of the National Gallery. This immersive floral exhibition, running to 27 May, will transform the building’s grand neoclassical spaces into a blooming homage to seminal artists from the National Gallery's collection. The exhibition pays tribute to iconic masters such as Alfred Sisley, JMW Turner and Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder through large-scale floral centrepieces, textured hangings, and reimagined botanical beings. And, of course, an Instagram opportunity: a ‘living portrait’ photo set, to honour Edouard Manet and his muse Eva Gonzalès. Step through the frame and become the subject.

From the moment you step foot in the door, they will be whisked away into a world of blooms and greenery, evocative of The National Gallery's own arched corridors, adorned with treasures from across the ages. In the Entrance Hall and Reception, creative florists Rebel Rebel have incorporated botanical Liberty print wallpaper and, on the floor, the repeated image of the iconic Whistlejacket by equestrian artist Sir George Stubbs. In ech of the tress alcoves is a gorgeous floral arrangement, set behind but spreading through a luxurious gilt frame. These arrangements will be created each week, meaning that over the course of the month, different flowers – mostly British, many grown from Rebel Rebel’s own cutting garden in Norfolk – will be presented at their best in the season.

In The Glade, JamJar Flowers have created a stunning, dreamlike installation, inspired by the drama of light, colour and movement in JMW Turner’s masterpiece Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus, one of the National Gallery’s treasures. Draped across The Glade's lofty ceiling with intricately knotted ropes and sumptuous textiles, the installation extracts elements and translates them into an ethereal work, incorporating botanical materials including flax fibres, honeysuckle, bog myrtle, bear and elephant grass, reeds, willow, and grasses artfully arranged to form dreamlike drifts echoing the waves and sails from the mythological scene. For the first time, JamJar is working with fabric installation artist Mia Sylvia, who works with botanical dyes which she makes herself from foraged flowers, food waste like onion skins and avocado pips and spices.

In the iconic Pod Loos, award-winning artist and floral designer Yan Skates brings people and paintings together with his ‘Plant Beings’ taking up residency, in an installation curated by Artistic Statements. Taking inspiration from The National Gallery’s A Still Life of Flowers in a Wan-Li Vase by Dutch Master Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, ‘Plant Beings’ are a whimsical celebration of the famous painting – in human form. As if the painting itself has walked off from the canvas – these beings embody the rich colours, the exotic composition, and wild floral combinations of the famous Dutch Masters painting.

And finally, upstairs in the luscious Lecture Room and Library can be found Lucy Vail’s ‘Pastoral Inspiration’. This captivating installation serves as a poignant tribute to ‘the forgotten impressionist’ Alfred Sisley’s influence on English heritage and his love for the British landscape. A reimagining of his painting The Small Meadows in Spring, the centrepiece promises to immerse visitors in the essence of his pastoral landscapes. Working with resin for the first time, the team at Lucy Vail showcase delicate pressed flowers and foliage, preserved within the resin, creating panels of between one and two metres tall, meticulously arranged in the centre of the room to imitate standing stones and to evoke English stone circles. The rolling hills are echoed in the colourful dried flowers and fresh plants beneath. This enchantingly tranquil centrepiece not only pays homage to Sisley's artistic legacy but also demonstrates Lucy Vail’s passion for circular floristry and for extending the lifecycle of flowers, as the dried petals featuring in the resin panels have been repurposed from other projects and events, preserved for reuse.

So, as Springtime promises to at long last show its true colours, why not celebrate the National Gallery’s milestone anniversary by getting lost in some stunningly inventive interpretations of its greatest treasures. Come for a cocktail or sketch’s famous afternoon tea and take a stroll. Of course, we love London, but just for a moment, step inside and imagine you are out exploring the beauty, the drama and the quirks of the great British countryside.

‘National Treasures’, sketch London’s 10th edition of ‘sketch in Bloom’, runs until 27 May 2024. Sketch London, 9 Conduit Street, London, W1S 2XG.

Words by Tani Burns