Some exhibitions ask for hours of your time. This one takes only a few minutes, but its subject invites you to look at the natural world a little more closely.
If you are planning a visit to Wilanów Palace this week, there is still time to discover a small exhibition that might otherwise be easy to miss.
The Beauty of Passing. Contemporary Botanical Illustration is on display in a case in the palace basement, but only until 26 September 2026.
The exhibition brings together works by Izabela Wolska-Kuśmider, with the natural world surrounding the palace providing the starting point for a quiet reflection on change, time and the life of plants.
Looking more closely at the leaves
Leaves are familiar enough to become almost invisible.
We notice them when they first appear in spring, perhaps admire their colours in autumn, then watch them disappear. The exhibition takes this ordinary cycle and asks visitors to look at it differently.
Rather than presenting plants as perfect botanical specimens, the works focus on transformation.
Created using watercolour, graphite and ink, the illustrations capture leaves at different moments of their existence. Some are still unfolding. Others have reached maturity, while others show the effects of rain, insects, wind or the first signs of cold weather.
It is a simple idea, but one that fits naturally within the historic surroundings of Wilanów.
The plants represented in the works come from the historic gardens surrounding the Museum of King Jan III's Palace at Wilanów, creating a direct connection between the exhibition and the landscape outside.
A small exhibition with only days to go
The display is located in the palace basement, in an exhibition case beside the bookshop, and is included with a palace ticket.
It is a self-guided display, so visitors can take a few minutes to explore it as part of their wider visit to Wilanów.
That makes it particularly easy to add to a September trip. You do not need to plan a separate museum visit around it, but you do need to keep an eye on the date.
The exhibition closes on 26 September, making the coming days the final opportunity to see the works.
For a palace already surrounded by centuries of gardens, the exhibition offers a fitting reminder that nature is constantly changing, even when we barely notice it.
Sometimes, all it takes is a closer look.
Visitor Information
Exhibition: The Beauty of Passing. Contemporary Botanical Illustration
Artist: Izabela Wolska-Kuśmider
Curator: Agnieszka Misiorowska
Dates: 1–26 September 2026
Venue: Museum of King Jan III's Palace at Wilanów, palace basement, exhibition case beside the bookshop
Address: ul. Stanisława Kostki Potockiego 10/16, 02-958 Warszawa
Access: Included with palace admission, self-guided
Palace opening: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday–Sunday 10:00–16:00, last entry 15:00; Wednesday 10:00–18:00, last entry 17:00
Admission: Full 70 PLN in high season, reduced 35 PLN; free Thursdays
