Ida O’Keeffe: Escaping Georgia’s Shadow

wonder | wander | world pick of the week for Women's History Month is this sibling rivalry between the O'Keeffe sisters. Yes, the Georgia O'Keeffe, had not just one, but two sisters [Ida and Anita] who were also talented artists, whom she competed with. 

A recent exhibition Ida O’Keeffe: Escaping Georgia’s Shadow offered a revelatory look at artist Ida O’Keeffe (1889–1961). 

big sky: Georgia O'Keeffe at the Tate Modern

Like the Joseph Cornell retrospective, this turned out to be unexpectedly personal and affecting. Like any dedicated artist, I knew a little about Georgia O'Keeffe. I knew she lived a long time, painted flowers and skulls with great beauty and skill, lived in the American Southwest, and was a feminist icon. Mostly, though, I knew her as my mother's favourite artist.

My Front Yard, Summer 1941