Tate Modern 6 July – 30 October 2016
The Art Gallery of Ontario
April 22 to July 30, 2017
Tate Modern presents the largest retrospective of
modernist painter Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) ever to be shown outside
of America. Marking a century since O’Keeffe’s debut in New York in
1916, it is the first UK exhibition of her
work for over twenty years. This ambitious and wide-ranging survey
reassesses the artist’s place in the canon of twentieth-century art and
reveals her profound importance. With no works by O’Keeffe in UK
public collections, the exhibition is a once-in-a-generation
opportunity for European audiences to view her oeuvre in such depth.
Widely recognised as a founding figure of American
modernism, O’Keeffe gained a central position in leading art circles
between the 1910s and the 1970s. She was also claimed as an important
pioneer by feminist artists of the 1970s. Spanning the six decades in
which O’Keeffe was at her most productive and featuring over 100 major
works, the exhibition charts the progression of her practice from her
early abstract experiments to her late works, aiming to dispel the
clichés that persist about the artist and her painting.
Opening with the moment of her first showings at
‘291’ gallery in New York in 1916 and 1917, the exhibition features
O’Keeffe’s earliest mature works made while she was working as a teacher
in Virginia and Texas.
Charcoals such as Special No.9 1915
and Early No. 2 1915
are shown alongside a select group of highly coloured watercolours and oils, such as
Sunrise 1916
and Blue and Green Music 1919.
These works investigate the relationship of form to landscape, music, colour and composition, and reveal O’Keeffe’s developing understanding of synaesthesia.
Charcoals such as Special No.9 1915
and Early No. 2 1915
are shown alongside a select group of highly coloured watercolours and oils, such as
Sunrise 1916
and Blue and Green Music 1919.
These works investigate the relationship of form to landscape, music, colour and composition, and reveal O’Keeffe’s developing understanding of synaesthesia.
A room in the exhibition considers O’Keeffe’s
professional and personal relationship with Alfred Stieglitz
(1864-1946); photographer, modern art promoter and the artist’s husband.
While Stieglitz increased O’Keeffe’s access to the most current
developments in avant-garde art, she employed these influences and
opportunities to her own objectives. Her keen intellect and resolute
character created a fruitful relationship that was, though sometimes
conflictive, one of reciprocal influence and exchange.
A selection of photography by Stieglitz is shown, including portraits and nudes of O’Keeffe as well as key figures from the avant-garde circle of the time, such as Marsden Hartley (1877-1943) and John Marin (1870-1953).
Alfred Stieglitz 1864-1946Georgia O’Keeffe 1918Photograph, palladium print on paper243 x 192 mmThe J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles©The J. Paul Getty Trust
A selection of photography by Stieglitz is shown, including portraits and nudes of O’Keeffe as well as key figures from the avant-garde circle of the time, such as Marsden Hartley (1877-1943) and John Marin (1870-1953).
Still life formed an important investigation within
O’Keeffe’s work,most notably her representations and abstractions of
flowers. The exhibition explores how these works reflect the influence
she took from modernist photography, such as the play with distortion in
Calla Lily in Tall Glass – No. 2 1923
and close cropping in Oriental Poppies 1927.
Calla Lily in Tall Glass – No. 2 1923
and close cropping in Oriental Poppies 1927.
Georgia O’Keeffe 1887-1986
Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 1932
Oil paint on canvas
48 x 40 inches
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Arkansas, USA
© 2016 Georgia O'Keeffe Museum/DACS, London
Photography by Edward C. Robison III
A highlight is Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 1932, one of O’Keeffe’s most iconic flower paintings.
O’Keeffe’s most persistent source of inspiration
however was nature and the landscape; she painted both figurative works
and abstractions drawn from landscape subjects.
Georgia O’KeeffeBlack Mesa Landscape, New Mexico / Out Back of Marie's II 1930Oil on canvas mounted on board24 1/4 x 36 1/4 (61.6 x 92.1)Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.Gift of The Burnett Foundation©Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
Black Mesa Landscape, New Mexico / Out of Black Marie’s II 1930
and Red and Yellow Cliffs 1940 chart O’Keeffe’s progressive immersion in New Mexico’s distinctive geography, while works such as
Taos Pueblo 1929/34 indicate her complex response to the area and its layered cultures. Stylised paintings of the location she called the ‘Black Place’ are at the heart of the exhibition.
and Red and Yellow Cliffs 1940 chart O’Keeffe’s progressive immersion in New Mexico’s distinctive geography, while works such as
Taos Pueblo 1929/34 indicate her complex response to the area and its layered cultures. Stylised paintings of the location she called the ‘Black Place’ are at the heart of the exhibition.
Georgia O’Keeffe is curated by Tanya
Barson, Curator, Tate Modern with Hannah Johnston, Assistant Curator,
Tate Modern. The exhibition is organised by Tate Modern in collaboration
with Bank Austria Kunstforum, Vienna and the Art Gallery of Ontario,
Toronto. It is accompanied by a catalogue from Tate Publishing and a
programme of talks and events in the gallery.
Georgia O’Keeffe retrospective in summer 2017
Career-spanning retrospective to make its only North American stop in Toronto
TORONTO – The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is set to present a major retrospective of pioneering American painter Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986), featuring over 100 paintings by one the 20th century’s most successful and influential modernists. The exhibition will examine O’Keeffe’s entire career, charting the progression of her practice from her early abstract experiments to her late work, in addition to her trajectory west, and her profound influence and legacy. Organized by Tate Modern in collaboration with the AGO and the Bank Austria Kunstforum, Vienna, Georgia O’Keeffe will make its only North American stop in Toronto running from April 22 to July 30, 2017.
Opening with the moment of her first showings at the 291 gallery in New York in 1916 and 1917, the exhibition will feature O’Keeffe’s earliest mature works made while she was working as a teacher in Virginia and Texas. The works on display—from her charcoals to a select group of vibrant watercolours and oils— investigate the relationship of form to landscape, music, colour and composition, and reveal O’Keeffe’s growing interest in synaesthesia: the ability to interpret music as colour.
A section in the exhibition will consider O’Keeffe’s professional and personal relationship with her husband, world-renowned photographer, art dealer and modern art advocate Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946). A selection of photography by Stieglitz will be shown, including portraits and nudes of O’Keeffe, as well as key figures from the avant-garde art circle of the time, including Marsden Hartley (1877–1943) and John Marin (1870–1953).
Still life formed an important theme within O’Keeffe’s work, most notably in her representations and abstractions of flowers. The exhibition will explore how these works reflect the influence she took from modernist photography. O’Keeffe’s most persistent source of inspiration, however, was nature and the landscape; she painted both figurative works and abstractions drawn from landscape subjects.
From the
Faraway, Nearby (1937) and Red and Yellow Cliffs (1940) (above)—both on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York—chart the artist’s progressive immersion in New Mexico’s distinctive geography. Stylized paintings of the location she called the “Black Place” will be at the heart of the exhibition.
Georgia O’Keeffe retrospective in summer 2017
Career-spanning retrospective to make its only North American stop in Toronto
TORONTO – The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is set to present a major retrospective of pioneering American painter Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986), featuring over 100 paintings by one the 20th century’s most successful and influential modernists. The exhibition will examine O’Keeffe’s entire career, charting the progression of her practice from her early abstract experiments to her late work, in addition to her trajectory west, and her profound influence and legacy. Organized by Tate Modern in collaboration with the AGO and the Bank Austria Kunstforum, Vienna, Georgia O’Keeffe will make its only North American stop in Toronto running from April 22 to July 30, 2017.
Opening with the moment of her first showings at the 291 gallery in New York in 1916 and 1917, the exhibition will feature O’Keeffe’s earliest mature works made while she was working as a teacher in Virginia and Texas. The works on display—from her charcoals to a select group of vibrant watercolours and oils— investigate the relationship of form to landscape, music, colour and composition, and reveal O’Keeffe’s growing interest in synaesthesia: the ability to interpret music as colour.
A section in the exhibition will consider O’Keeffe’s professional and personal relationship with her husband, world-renowned photographer, art dealer and modern art advocate Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946). A selection of photography by Stieglitz will be shown, including portraits and nudes of O’Keeffe, as well as key figures from the avant-garde art circle of the time, including Marsden Hartley (1877–1943) and John Marin (1870–1953).
Still life formed an important theme within O’Keeffe’s work, most notably in her representations and abstractions of flowers. The exhibition will explore how these works reflect the influence she took from modernist photography. O’Keeffe’s most persistent source of inspiration, however, was nature and the landscape; she painted both figurative works and abstractions drawn from landscape subjects.
From the
Faraway, Nearby (1937) and Red and Yellow Cliffs (1940) (above)—both on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York—chart the artist’s progressive immersion in New Mexico’s distinctive geography. Stylized paintings of the location she called the “Black Place” will be at the heart of the exhibition.
