A circle of bay leaves for George Minne

From 30 April to 10 May 2026, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) presented In Full Bloom (In volle bloei). For eleven days, contemporary floral art and the museum’s collection met in its galleries. Guest curator Gert Voorjans invited fifteen floral artists to respond to a specific work or space in the museum. Michel Mullèr was one of them.

Bay leaves and marble

Mullèr chose The Reliquary Bearer, a marble sculpture by the Belgian sculptor George Minne: a kneeling youth, his head bowed beneath the reliquary he carries. Beside it he placed a large circular disc, built entirely of bay leaves.

It is his signature technique. Leaf by leaf, layer by layer, the bay leaves are pinned into place by hand, and a single work takes many hours. Against the deep red walls of the museum, the leaves take on a warm bronze glow. Minne’s quiet, inward-turned figure and the slow rhythm of the leaves strengthen each other.

Transience and permanence

The exhibition was about transience and eternity: fragile, living material placed next to centuries-old masterpieces. Bay leaves fit that theme well. They dry slowly and keep their shape and colour, so a natural material becomes a lasting work.

Works in bay leaf by Michel Mullèr can be seen at the gallery, Leopoldstraat 29, Antwerp. Open Wednesday to Saturday, 11:00–18:00, or by appointment.