Georgia O'Keeffe: Visions of Hawai‘i

Exhibition Website

May 19 2018 - Oct 28 2018

Discover the artist’s little-known depictions of the Hawaiian Islands—and the plants and landscapes that inspired them.

Pioneering American modernist Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986) conveyed a distinct sense of place with innovative depictions of her surroundings, from stark New Mexican landscapes to New York cityscapes. Yet flowers and plants were subjects that engaged O’Keeffe throughout her career. Curated by Theresa Papanikolas, Ph.D., of the Honolulu Museum of Art, this landmark exhibition offers a rare focus on 20 of O’Keeffe’s depictions of Hawai‘i from a nine-week sojourn in 1939 while on commission to produce images for a Hawaiian Pineapple Company promotional campaign.

A lush exhibition in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory that explores the remarkable beauty and variety of Hawaiian flora—as well as its complex botanical and cultural history—and a stunning display in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library Art Gallery that includes 17 of O’Keeffe’s Hawai‘i paintings—not seen together in New York since their debut in 1940—spotlight a transformative experience in the legendary artist’s life, revealing O’Keeffe’s deeply felt impressions and the enduring influence of the Islands’ dramatic landscapes and exotic plants.

Elsewhere in the Garden, discover NYBG’s ongoing scientific efforts to study and document the plants of Hawai‘i; contemporary sculpture inspired by its flowers and fruit; and an illustrated travelogue of O’Keeffe’s island-hopping journey.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

  • Painting
  • American
  • 20th Century
  • Still Life / Botanic
  • Modernism
  • Georgia O’Keeffe

Exhibition Venues & Dates