Tribute to Flowers: Plants Under Pressure

Up to fifty percent of the world's flower species could be are threatened with extinction. Each year, numerous flowers disappear from the face of the Earth without ever being documented. Indeed, many of these natural beauties remain as yet unknown to humankind. Photographer Richard Fischer can be regarded as the ambassador for flowers. For many years, he has staged graceful and endangered floral specimens in his photo studio, capturing the uniqueness and transience of each flower. In collaboration with the world's leading botanical gardens, his strikingly original images provide the flowers with an aesthetic framework in which their power of expression and majesty remain intact. Fischer's precise, yet delicate floral compositions record the unique color, form, and texture of each flower, while signaling to the extraordinary beauty, diversity, and fragility of the natural world. Fischer's inimitable flower photographs have bestowed him with exhibitions around the world: In Paris, London and Tokyo, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, and the renowned China Academy of Art in Hangzhou. Richard Fischer prints are much sought after collector's items in the art photography market and calendars of his flower images appear annually. Now, for the first time, Richard Fischer brings together his best pictures spanning 15 years in one flower photography book, showcasing his artwork and little-known floral exotica. Throughout the volume, the photographs are accompanied by informative and captivating texts, leading the reader through an unknown and dwindling world of flowers.