Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), Jack-in-the-Pulpit No. III, 1930, oil on canvas, 101.6 x 76.2 cm. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Alfred Stieglitz Collection, bequest of Georgia O’Keeffe. © Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington | Henry Moore (1898-1986), Working Model for Upright Internal/External Form, 1951, bronze, 68 x 25.3 x 30 cm. The Henry Moore Foundation, Much Hadham, England, gift of Irina Moore, 1977. Reproduced by permission of The Henry Moore Foundation
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), Jack-in-the-Pulpit No. III, 1930, oil on canvas, 101.6 x 76.2 cm. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Alfred Stieglitz Collection, bequest of Georgia O’Keeffe. © Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington | Henry Moore (1898-1986), Working Model for Upright Internal/External Form, 1951, bronze, 68 x 25.3 x 30 cm. The Henry Moore Foundation, Much Hadham, England, gift of Irina Moore, 1977. Reproduced by permission of The Henry Moore Foundation
Organized by the San Diego Museum of Art, this groundbreaking exhibition creates a new dialogue between the work of Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) and Henry Moore (1898-1986), exploring how these iconic 20th-century artists developed their own shape of modern art firmly rooted in the natural world.
A striking dialogue inspired by nature
As two of the greatest and most recognized names in the history of Modern art, O’Keeffe and Moore have been the subjects of innumerable exhibitions and publications. Now, for the first time, their lives and art are examined in parallel in this exhibition presenting over 120 works, together with recreations of each artist’s studio, thanks to an unprecedented collaboration with the Henry Moore Foundation, Much Hadham, England, and the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe, New Mexico. In the resulting unique and powerful dialogue, O’Keeffe’s paintings and Moore’s sculptures underscore the fundamental relationship between humanity and the natural world – a theme that will undoubtedly resonate with audiences today.
Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002), Georgia O’Keeffe, 1956, gelatin silver print, 59.7 x 47.9 cm. MMFA, gift of Estrellita Karsh in memory of Yousuf Karsh. © Estate of Yousuf Karsh
Henry Moore in the top studio, Perry Green, about 1953. Reproduced by permission of The Henry Moore Foundation. Photo Roger Wood
The real and the surreal
The exhibition begins with an introduction to the artists’ life drawings and early studies from nature as well as an overview of the influence of Surrealism on their individual work. The international Surrealist movement, which was prominent during the 1930s, inspired O’Keeffe to explore dreamlike imagery and Moore to create what he called his transformation drawings, depicting natural forms metamorphosing into human figures, as well as his Helmet Head sculptures.
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), Series I White & Blue Flower Shapes, 1919, oil on board, 50.48 x 40 cm. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe, New Mexico, gift of The Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation. © Georgia O'Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / CARCC Ottawa 2023
Henry Moore (1898-1986), Helmet, 1939-1940, bronze, 31 x 24.5 x 15.5 cm. The Henry Moore Foundation, Much Hadham, England, gift of Irina Moore, 1977. Reproduced by permission of The Henry Moore Foundation
The artists’ studios
At the heart of the exhibition are the meticulous recreations of O’Keeffe’s and Moore’s individual studios, which highlight the remarkable commonalities between each artist’s vast collections of found objects. Their abrupt departure from the art centres of New York City and London, respectively, occurred at similar moments in their artistic careers. In 1941, following the bombing that damaged his home and studio in London, Moore relocated to Hertfordshire, England. Just a few years later, in 1946, O’Keeffe moved from New York to the desert of New Mexico, where she had spent many previous summers. Though they remained within reach of city life and did not retreat into complete social isolation, the artists chose rural settings that offered each of them total immersion in the natural world. Original and replica furnishings bring to life the reconstructed studios in the galleries displaying how both Moore and O’Keeffe chose to work in relatively small spaces, surrounded by the objects they collected from nature.
Henry Moore’s Bourne Maquette Studio, about 1982. Henry Moore Archive, Perry Green, England. Reproduced by permission of The Henry Moore Foundation
Bones and stones
One of the sections in the exhibition focuses on a significant source of inspiration for both artists: bones. Although O’Keeffe and Moore had different approaches to exploring bones as subject matter, they both looked to the sky through their openings as a means of playing with perspective and scale. Another section turns to the importance of the artists’ collections of pebbles, flint stones, river rocks and ironstone that informed many of O’Keeffe’s paintings and Moore’s sculptures. Both artists were fascinated with the pitted and textured surfaces of stones.
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), Pelvis with the Distance, 1943, oil on canvas, 60.6 x 75.6 cm. Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, gift of Anne Marmon Greenleaf in memory of Caroline Marmon Fesler. © Georgia O'Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / CARCC Ottawa 2024
Henry Moore (1898-1986), Reclining Figure Bone, 1975, travertine marble, 62.5 x 157.5 x 61 cm. The Henry Moore Foundation, Much Hadham, England, gift of the artist, 1977. Reproduced by permission of The Henry Moore Foundation. Photo Michel Muller
Seashells and flowers
This section delves into each artist’s exploration of interrelated forms through organic objects such as flowers and seashells, in order to reveal the evolution of their respective work. O’Keeffe and Moore were equally taken with nature’s structures, which are echoed in their art. The dialogue between the works showcased here offers new and significant insight into O’Keeffe’s floral paintings that is at odds with the prevailing sexualized reading of her work, which she repeatedly refuted.
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), Pink Shell with Seaweed, about 1938, pastel on board, 54.9 x 69.8 cm. The San Diego Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norton S. Walbridge. © Georgia O'Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / CARCC Ottawa 2024
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), The White Flower (White Trumpet Flower), 1932, oil on canvas, 75.6 x 101 cm. The San Diego Museum of Art, gift of Mrs. Inez Grant Parker in memory of Earle W. Grant. © Georgia O'Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / CARCC Ottawa 2024
Henry Moore (1898-1986), Working Model for Reclining Figure: Internal/External Form, 1951, bronze, 2/6, 37.3 x 61 x 23.3 cm. MMFA, purchase, Annie White Townsend Bequest. Reproduced by permission of The Henry Moore Foundation
Landscapes of forms
The last section of the exhibition features the artists’ later works: landscapes characterized by streamlined forms and exaggerated scale that create a monumental simplicity. Some of the works by Moore illustrate his fragmentation of the figure to recreate it as a metaphoric landscape, in which knees and breasts become mountains and valleys, and folds of drapery become the ripples of a shoreline or the encrusted surface of the earth. Meanwhile, O’Keeffe’s compositions of bands of colour and light evoke the passage of time and movement over the landscape.
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), Pedernal, 1941, oil on canvas, 48.3 x 76.8 cm. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe, New Mexico, gift of The Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation. © Georgia O'Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / CARCC Ottawa 2024
Henry Moore (1898-1986), Reclining Figure, 1959-1964, elmwood, 114.5 x 261.5 x 91 cm. The Henry Moore Foundation, Much Hadham, England, gift of Irina Moore. Reproduced by permission of The Henry Moore Foundation. Photo Jonty Wilde
Delve deeper
Using your smartphone, scan the QR codes in the exhibition galleries to get additional background information on certain works on display.
The MMFA’s WiFi network is free and accessible throughout the Museum.
Publication
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue published in English by Marquand Books and adapted in French by the MMFA’s Publishing Department. Edited by Anita Feldman, Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs at the San Diego Museum of Art and curator of the exhibition, it includes essays from scholars from the Henry Moore Foundation and the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum as well as a comparative chronology of the lives and careers of the two artists.
Available at the MMFA Boutique and Bookstore. Museum Members are entitled to a 10% discount on the retail price.
Photo MMFA, Jean-François Brière
Credits and curatorial team
An exhibition organized by the San Diego Museum of Art in collaboration with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
The exhibition is curated by Anita Feldman, Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs, San Diego Museum of Art. Iris Amizlev, Curator – Community Engagement and Projects, MMFA, is the curator of the Montreal presentation.
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Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002), Georgia O’Keeffe, 1956, gelatin silver print, 59.7 x 47.9 cm. MMFA, gift of Estrellita Karsh in memory of Yousuf Karsh. © Estate of Yousuf Karsh
Henry Moore in the top studio, Perry Green, about 1953. Reproduced by permission of The Henry Moore Foundation. Photo Roger Wood
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), Series I White & Blue Flower Shapes, 1919, oil on board, 50.48 x 40 cm. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe, New Mexico, gift of The Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation. © Georgia O'Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / CARCC Ottawa 2023
Henry Moore (1898-1986), Helmet, 1939-1940, bronze, 31 x 24.5 x 15.5 cm. The Henry Moore Foundation, Much Hadham, England, gift of Irina Moore, 1977. Reproduced by permission of The Henry Moore Foundation
Henry Moore’s Bourne Maquette Studio, about 1982. Henry Moore Archive, Perry Green, England. Reproduced by permission of The Henry Moore Foundation
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), Pelvis with the Distance, 1943, oil on canvas, 60.6 x 75.6 cm. Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, gift of Anne Marmon Greenleaf in memory of Caroline Marmon Fesler. © Georgia O'Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / CARCC Ottawa 2024
Henry Moore (1898-1986), Reclining Figure Bone, 1975, travertine marble, 62.5 x 157.5 x 61 cm. The Henry Moore Foundation, Much Hadham, England, gift of the artist, 1977. Reproduced by permission of The Henry Moore Foundation. Photo Michel Muller
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), Pink Shell with Seaweed, about 1938, pastel on board, 54.9 x 69.8 cm. The San Diego Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norton S. Walbridge. © Georgia O'Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / CARCC Ottawa 2024
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), The White Flower (White Trumpet Flower), 1932, oil on canvas, 75.6 x 101 cm. The San Diego Museum of Art, gift of Mrs. Inez Grant Parker in memory of Earle W. Grant. © Georgia O'Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / CARCC Ottawa 2024
Henry Moore (1898-1986), Working Model for Reclining Figure: Internal/External Form, 1951, bronze, 2/6, 37.3 x 61 x 23.3 cm. MMFA, purchase, Annie White Townsend Bequest. Reproduced by permission of The Henry Moore Foundation
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), Pedernal, 1941, oil on canvas, 48.3 x 76.8 cm. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe, New Mexico, gift of The Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation. © Georgia O'Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / CARCC Ottawa 2024
Henry Moore (1898-1986), Reclining Figure, 1959-1964, elmwood, 114.5 x 261.5 x 91 cm. The Henry Moore Foundation, Much Hadham, England, gift of Irina Moore. Reproduced by permission of The Henry Moore Foundation. Photo Jonty Wilde
Photo MMFA, Jean-François Brière
