On a 2011 trip to the Netherlands, artist Kate Breakey became enamored of the deep maroon ‘black’ tulips with names like “Queen of the Night” and “Black Parrot” that peppered the flower markets of Amsterdam. Fascinated with the history of the flower—the ‘tulip mania’ that gripped the country during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century, and the attempts to breed a truly black tulip—Breakey began to research growing the bulb in the Tucson desert she has called home for nearly 20 years.
Breakey distributed “Queen of the Night” bulbs among eight women friends who agreed to grow the flowers for her to photograph, along with explicit instructions on how to replicate northern winter conditions in which the bulbs normally grow.
The result is a series of large hand-colored black tulips in vintage mirror frames shown along side portraits of the women who took the challenge to collaborate in a project that reflects Breakey’s love of botany, history, chance, and importantly, female friendship.