Object number2022.16.3.r

Blue Morning Glories, New Mexico, II

Date1935

Artist Georgia O'Keeffe (American, 1887-1986)

CultureAmerican

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsIncoming Dimensions: 12 1/4 x 9 in. (31.1 x 22.9 cm)
Framed: 13 5/8 x 10 1/2 x 1 1/2 in. (34.6 x 26.7 x 3.8 cm)

Credit LineBequest of Mary Pick Hines, class of 1953

On View

On view

Period20th c

Classification(s)

Painting

Terms

SignedOn the reverse, signed: G. O'Keeffe

InscribedOn the reverse, by artist: 35

Catalogue raisonnéNo. 863ProvenanceAn American Place, New York;
Ann Morgan, New York, 1936;
by gift to Malvina Hoffman, New York,1936;
Charles Hoffman, New York, date unknown;
(Andrew Crispo Gallery, Inc., New York);
Private collection, New York, 1977;
Sotheby Parke Bernet Inc., New York, sale no. 4365, April 25, 1980, lot 249A;
The Regis Collection, Minneapolis, MN, 1980;
(James Maroney, Inc., New York) 1981;
Christie’s, New York, sale no. 6972, December 1, 1989, lot 204;
Beltexsan Galleries, Fort Worth, TX, 1989;
Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, 1990;
purchased by Mary Pick Hines

Label TextO'Keeffe painted over two hundred works depicting close-up views of flowers. Begun in the mid-1920s, these paintings offered an innovative perspective on her subject matter and helped establish her reputation as a major figure in American modernism. Rather than using the traditional format of tabletop still-lifes, O'Keeffe took a dramatically close viewpoint, cropping the flowers to focus on the abstract interplay of color and form. As O'Keeffe explained in 1946, "When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else." Blue Morning Glories, New Mexico, II highlights two blossoms seen from different vantage points, with accents of yellow that intensify the broad passages of blue and purple tones. While some critics have seen O'Keeffe's seemingly intimate yet monumental depictions of flowers as symbolically asserting female sexuality, their abstract qualities invite multiple interpretations.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email loebcollections@vassar.edu