This summer, the Garden Museum presents Benton End: A Paradise of Pollen and Paint, a celebration of the extraordinary world cultivated by Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett‑Haines at their Suffolk home, garden, and art school.

Running from 2 June through 20 September 2026, the exhibition recreates the creative ecosystem that thrived at Benton End, where horticulture and painting coexisted in a space of radical freedom. The school drew students and friends including Lucian Freud, Maggi Hambling, and Beth Chatto, fostering an atmosphere of experimentation, mentorship, and artistic play that left a lasting imprint on British modernism. It promises to be an amazing show in one of the most remarkable London museums.

Visitors will encounter a mix of paintings, sketches, letters, and everyday objects that evoke the intimacy and eccentricity of Benton End. Morris’s lush, unconventional garden, alongside Lett‑Haines’s collaborative ethos, made the house a hub where art and life were inseparable, and where community, creativity, and curiosity guided every brushstroke and seed planted.

The exhibition also reflects ongoing efforts to revive Benton End’s gardens as a living centre for art, horticulture, and education, ensuring the legacy of Morris and Lett‑Haines continues to inspire future generations.

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Image: Plants and Garden Produce at Benton End, Cedric Morris (1889-1982), courtesy Philip Mould & Company