Georgia O’Keeffe’s life in art
One of the most significant artists of the 20th century, Georgia O’Keeffe achieved lasting fame with her abstract depictions of nature
No. 22 - Special (1916-1917) by Georgia O'KeeffeGeorgia O'Keeffe Museum
Georgia O’Keeffe showed an early talent for art, specializing in watercolor. Paintings like this one marked a break with what she had been taught, and the discovery of her own style.
Abstraction White Rose (1927) by Georgia O'KeeffeGeorgia O'Keeffe Museum
O’Keeffe was fascinated by the beauty of organic forms. She would sometimes reduce complex still life subjects to simple shapes by magnifying them and focusing on a particular detail.
East River (1932) by Georgia O'KeeffeGeorgia O'Keeffe Museum
In 1924, O’Keeffe married the photographer and gallery owner Alfred Stieglitz. The couple lived in New York City, on the 30th floor of the Shelton Hotel. Drawings like this one depict a view from their window high above the city.
Purple Hills Ghost Ranch - 2 / Purple Hills No II (1934) by Georgia O'KeeffeGeorgia O'Keeffe Museum
In the summer of 1929, O’Keeffe made the first of many trips to Northern New Mexico. The stark landscape and rich culture of the region inspired new directions in her art.
By John LeongardLIFE Photo Collection
Georgia O’Keeffe made New Mexico her permanent home in 1949, and continued to draw inspiration from the place for the rest of her life. Among her many legacies is an invitation
to look closer at the “wideness and wonder” of the world.
