Butterfly: Exploring the World of Lepidoptera

An expansive and awe-inspiring visual survey celebrating the stunning beauty of butterflies and moths across art, history, science, and culture

‘Tap[s] into the myriad ways in which these marvelous bugs pollinate not only our fragile ecosystems but our imaginations, too.’ –   Colossal

Butterflies have enchanted people for thousands of years, capturing human imagination for so long that they are deeply entwined in our culture and history. Butterfly: Exploring the World of Lepidoptera delves into this enduring love for butterflies, moths, and caterpillars, taking readers on a journey across continents and cultures to discover the endless ways artists and image-makers throughout history, from ancient Egypt over 4,000 years ago to the present day, have been inspired by these ethereal insects.

Featuring more than 250 entries, each represented with a gorgeous large-scale image, this expansive visual survey spans a wide range of styles and media, including paintings, botanical illustrations, sculptures, nature photography, children’s books, textiles, and jewelry.

Cleverly paired to highlight thought-provoking contrasts and similarities between them, regardless of the time period, the images showcase butterflies and moths – from the blue morpho and monarch to the death’s-head hawkmoth – in all stages of their life cycles.

The vibrant colors in Eric Carle’s childhood classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar complement the playfulness of a butterfly-filled collage by British Pop Artist Peter Blake, while the shape of the goddess Obsidian Butterfly, carved into stone in fourteenth-century Mexico, matches perfectly that of a falling moth, captured in a beautiful black and white photograph by Japanese artist Chuji Yasui.

Artists featured include: María Berrio, Peter Blake, Lee Bontecou, Alexander Calder, Caroline Cheng, Rebecca Coles, Salvador Dalí, Mat Collishaw, Jean Dubuffet, M. C. Escher, Gyoshu Hayami, Sheila Hicks, Damien Hirst, Frida Kahlo, René Lalique, Iela Mari, Wardell Milan, Berthe Morisot, Maria van Oosterwijck, Gabriel Orozco, Man Ray, Yinka Shonibare, and Vincent van Gogh, among others

Advisors include: Dr. Giovanni Aloi, Dr. David G. James, Dr. Ivonne Garzón Orduña, Professor Naomi Pierce, Tamar van Riessen, and Nate Moss

Additional texts by: Dr. Giovanni Aloi, Sara Bader, Matthew Biggs, Anita Croy, Jennifer Elias, Diane Fortenberry, Carolyn Fry, Catherine Ingram, Rebecca Morrill, Nate Moss, Tamar van Riessen, Hannah Silver, James Smith, David Trigg, and Martin Walters

About the Author

Phaidon Editors

Dr David G. James is Associate Professor of Entomology at Washington State University. He has written extensively on Lepidoptera, including The Book of Caterpillars (2017), a guide to over 600 species from around the world.

Tamar van Riessen is a curator and writer specializing in seventeenth century Dutch painting, and worked as Junior Curator at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Nate Moss of Goldwell Flowers nursery is Director at Spencer House in London and is heavily involved in butterfly conservation in Kent.