An unprecedented examination of the underexplored late work of the iconic American modernist
An unprecedented examination of the underexplored late work of the iconic American modernist
“Griffin’s study of O’Keeffe’s later works is a revelation, opening new dimensions of this iconic American modernist as she grappled with age and creative evolution. . . . A must-read.”—Megan Fox Kelly, Observer, “Art Books Defining 2025”
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986) has long been celebrated for her paintings, photographs, and contributions to American modernism in the 1930s and early 1940s, yet her work from the end of World War II through the early 1980s has been largely neglected. In this groundbreaking study, Randall C. Griffin focuses on the major pictorial series that O’Keeffe produced throughout her later career—mysterious abstract depictions of her house in Abiquiu, New Mexico, and its surrounding landscape; voluptuous aerial representations of rivers, skies, and canyons in Arizona; Buddhist-informed depictions of clouds; and daring and enigmatic portrayals of the Washington Monument.
Drawing from previously overlooked photographs, letters, objects, and paintings, Griffin reveals how these works reflect O’Keeffe’s evolving artistic interests and ambitions while also engaging with contemporary issues such as race, class, gender, indigeneity, spirituality, and ecology.
Firmly situating O’Keeffe within the larger cultural and political milieu, this volume offers a new understanding of these visionary works and shows how they were informed by, and enriched, the American postwar artistic landscape.
