Georgia O'Keefe in Hawaii: Bridges and Waterfalls
Where: Oahu || Grouped in: Oahu Culture || Tagged:
Georgia O'Keeffe came to Hawaii in the late 1930s to escape a nasty divorce resulting from the infidelity of her husband and longtime mentor, an affair that caused O'Keeffe to have a nervous breakdown. The Dole Pineapple corporation underwrote her sojourn to the islands in exchange for a painting of a pineapple -- something she delivered only after much coaxing from N.W. Ayer advertising executive Earl Thomas, who suggested the trip in the first place to his client and also commissioned other notable, down-on-their-luck artists for advertising works. O'Keeffe, however, did send to Ayer a painting of a papaya tree, which was the domain of Dole's top competitor at the time. Numerous paintings resulted from her islands trip, on the heels of a dark two-year stretch when she didn't lift a brush. They are stark and austere yet colorful and lovely at the same time. This small exhibition focuses on her paintings of bridges and waterfalls in Hawaii. There are only a handful of images in this exhibition but this display, assembled by the Honolulu Academy, is well worth a visit.
Georgia O'Keeffe in Hawaii: Bridges and Waterfalls: Honolulu Academy of Arts
Nov. 8 - Dec. 31, 2006 / Map
Image via Honolulu Academy of Art
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Comments
Susan said:
I recently came across an October 1940 Ladies Home Journal in the attic of a house I bought in Maine. A Dole Pineapple add on page 61 presented a striking painting of a pineapple bud. My first reaction was to think of Georgia O’Keefe; I was amazed to look closer and find the painting attributed to her. I have framed the page and put it in the kithen of this 100-year-old house. This web page was helpful in giving me some context for the painting, and I am wondering where that painting resides today.
—06/10/07
Edward J. Park said:
The text is mistaken: O’Keeffe did not divorce her husband, Alfred Stieglitz. Nor was is it clear that he had an affair—a sexual relationship—though it is true that he became very close to Dorothy Norman, a much younger woman whom he often photographed and who helped him in his New York gallery, An American Place. It’s also true that his intimacy with Norman, whether physical or not, was deeply upsetting to O’Keeffe. (The artist’s name is spelled with two f’s not one, i.e., “O’Keeffe,” not “O’Keefe.”)
—01/03/08
Lucy said:
What other painting did Georgia O’keefe paint?
—09/20/08