Images of Nature

A new permanent gallery showcasing the museum's collection of natural history artworks, including paintings, watercolours and prints from natural history artists such as the bird illustrator John Gerrard Keulemans and botanical artist Georg Ehret. On show alongside the historical works are modern images created by scientists, photographers and imaging specialists, including images of meteorite slices and a 3D scan of a shark head. The gallery also includes a temporary display of works that changes annually. This year's theme is Chinese watercolours, featuring botanical and zoological watercolours from the collection of nineteenth-century amateur naturalist John Reeves. The watercolours are too delicate for permanent display so will change every 3 months, giving visitors the chance to see about 100 paintings over the year.