Georgia O'Keeffe
The outstanding holdings in the Amon Carter provide an intimate glimpse of the career of one of America’s most beloved painters
O'Keeffe's remarkable trajectory as an artist is reflected in this overview, which highlights the people and places, including Texas, that helped shape her career.
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Although Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986) is known for her depictions of the American Southwest, she was raised in tiny Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. A plaque marks the place where the O'Keeffe home once stood.
Untitled (1915) by Georgia O'KeeffeAmon Carter Museum of American Art
After several years of study and work as a commercial artist, O’Keeffe took a teaching job at Columbia College in South Carolina, where she created an innovative series of abstract charcoal drawings.
Alfred Stieglitz, Esq., from Camera Work No. 21 (1908) by Alvin Langdon CoburnAmon Carter Museum of American Art
A friend showed them to Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946), who, as a famous photographer and owner of the avant-garde 291 gallery in New York City, was an influential trendsetter and promoter of modern art. Stieglitz was immediately moved and exhibited ten of her drawings in 1916.
Light Coming on the Plains No. I (1917) by Georgia O'KeeffeAmon Carter Museum of American Art
In the meantime, O’Keeffe had gone to Texas, where she had taken a position at a teaching college in the small Panhandle town of Canyon. She continued her exploration of abstract natural forms in works such as this watercolor of the West Texas sunrise.
Red Cannas (1927) by Georgia O'KeeffeAmon Carter Museum of American Art
Correspondence between O’Keeffe and Stieglitz led to a solo show at 291, and a whirlwind romance: O’Keeffe moved to New York the following year and the two were married in 1924. By the mid-1920s she was one of the most important and well-known American artists.
Ranchos Church, New Mexico (1930-1931) by Georgia O'KeeffeAmon Carter Museum of American Art
Beginning in 1929, O’Keeffe began traveling to New Mexico
Studio of Georgia O'Keeffe Overlooking Chama Valley (1960) by Laura GilpinAmon Carter Museum of American Art
where she found desert life to be a great inspiration for her work.
where she found desert life to be a great inspiration for her work.
Georgia O'Keeffe and Mary Callery, Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, September 1945 (1945) by Eliot PorterAmon Carter Museum of American Art
O’Keeffe became an integral part of a growing community of artists in New Mexico and moved there permanently in 1949, after the death of her husband.
O’Keeffe became an integral part of a growing community of artists in New Mexico and moved there permanently in 1949, after the death of her husband.
O'Keeffe Studio, Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, September 1945 (1945) by Eliot PorterAmon Carter Museum of American Art
She invited fellow artists into her studios at Ghost Ranch
Studio of Georgia O'Keeffe Overlooking Chama Valley (1960) by Laura GilpinAmon Carter Museum of American Art
and in nearby Abiquiu.
[Trip down Colorado River with Georgia O'Keeffe and Porter family] (1961) by Eliot PorterAmon Carter Museum of American Art
O’Keeffe maintained a decades-long friendship with photographer Eliot Porter (1901–1990) and even went on camping trips with his family.
[Trip down Colorado River with Georgia O'Keeffe and Porter family] (1961) by Eliot PorterAmon Carter Museum of American Art
Georgia O'Keeffe (1953) by Laura GilpinAmon Carter Museum of American Art
Santa Fe photographer Laura Gilpin (1891–1979) photographed O’Keeffe and her home in 1953,
Georgia O'Keeffe Residence, Abiquiu (1960) by Laura GilpinAmon Carter Museum of American Art
1960,
Georgia O'Keeffe Residence, Abiquiu (1960) by Laura GilpinAmon Carter Museum of American Art
[Georgia O'Keeffe in profile] (1976) by Laura GilpinAmon Carter Museum of American Art
and 1976.
Dark Mesa with Pink sky (1930) by Georgia O'KeeffeAmon Carter Museum of American Art
The Amon Carter began acquiring artworks by Georgia O’Keeffe in 1965 with the purchase of Dark Mesa with Pink Sky
Black Patio Door (1955) by Georgia O'KeeffeAmon Carter Museum of American Art
followed by Black Patio Door the next year.
Antlers & Stump, O'Keeffe Portal, Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, September 1945 (1945) by Eliot PorterAmon Carter Museum of American Art
The beautiful photographs by Eliot Porter and Laura Gilpin in this gallery are part of those artists’ estates, which are also held by the Amon Carter
[Trip down Colorado River with Georgia O'Keeffe and Porter family] (1961) by Eliot PorterAmon Carter Museum of American Art
and help preserve the legacy of Georgia O'Keeffe.
All artworks from the collection of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas.
Exhibit produced by
Jana Hill, digital engagement manager, Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Shirley Reece-Hughes, associate curator of paintings and sculpture, Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Peggy Sell, interpretation manager, Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Maggie Adler, assistant curator, Amon Carter Museum of American Art
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