O'KEEFFE: Flowers in the Desert

Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) was a major figure in modern American art for some seven decades, with her own unique vision, based on finding essential and abstract forms in nature. See among many colour artworks here Corn, Poppies, My Shanty, New York Night, Gerald's Tree, In the Patio. O'Keeffe's primary subjects were landscapes, flowers, and bones, each explored in successive series over several years. Certain works went on for decades, producing 12 or more variations of an original image. Among these, O'Keeffe's magnified pictures of calla lilies and irises are her most famous. Enlarging the tiniest petals to fill an entire canvas, O'Keeffe created a proto-abstract vocabulary of shapes and lines, earning her the moniker "mother of American modernism." In 1946, O'Keeffe became the first female artist to be given a solo show at the MoMA in New York. This introductory book traces O'Keeffe's long and luminous career through key paintings, contemporary photographs, and portraits taken by Alfred Stieglitz, to whom O'Keeffe was married. We follow the artist through her pioneering innovations, major breakthroughs, and her travels and inspirations in Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, and, above all, New Mexico, where she was particularly inspired by the majestic landscapes, vivid colours and exotic vegetation. 21 x 26 cm, 96 pages. New from Taschen.