10 Things to Do at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe

Among American artists of the 20th century, Georgia O’Keeffe is highly regarded. Her work transformed how people look at the vast landscapes of New Mexico, the Midwest, and even a simple flower. You can go through O’Keeffe’s entire career at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe. From her early depictions of New York City’s skyscrapers to her portrayals of New Mexico’s natural landscapes, this gorgeous space has plenty of highlights.

Georgia O’Keeffe was born in rural Wisconsin in 1887. She studied traditional painting at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League in New York. After she became famous for her unique take on American monuments, landscapes, and nature, she moved to New Mexico. O’Keeffe worked in New Mexico until her death at the age of 98 in 1986.

At the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, you can learn about the artist’s life from her early childhood to her final days. Many of her last works, which she created with the help of assistants while almost blind, are on display. Currently, the personal items and clothing pieces of the artist are on display at the Georgia O’Keeffe: Making a Life exhibition. Here, you can see the everyday items such as books, hats, and household decorations that influenced her life. As you tour the museum, don’t miss out on the free audio guide. Make sure to bring your own earbuds and download the free Bloomberg Connects App to get the full audio guide.

2. Explore the Thematic Galleries

Georgia O’Keeffe’s life was well documented by her late husband Alfred Stieglitz and many other photographers. At the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, you’ll see a wide range of images featuring her and her living environment. The museum’s revolving collection of photos takes you on a tour through the places that inspired her. From her home to the landscapes of the places that influenced her the most, you’ll get a sense of what it was like to feel her artistic inspiration in the early 20th-century United States. Some of the most beloved photographs of O’Keeffe include John Loengard’s Abiquiu, taken in 1966, and Ansel Adams’ famous portraits of Stieglitz. Photographer Todd Webb’s famous portraits of O’Keeffe are some of the museum’s most intimate windows into her life.

4. See the Evolution of New Mexico Through Her Work

O’Keeffe’s later work revolved around the landscapes of America, especially the state of New Mexico. She loved the desert regions of the world and unique Americana of the American Southwest and her work depicted that. Take your time to see O’Keeffe’s landscape paintings and photographs. These works show the changes that the state went through during her lifetime. From cultural landmarks to urban destinations, you’ll see how the United States evolved in the 20th century.

O’Keeffe spent her later life at her home and studio in Abiquiú, New Mexico, 60 miles northwest of Santa Fe. At this rural location, she painted some of her greatest works. The home blends Native American and Spanish Colonial architectural styles and stands amongst the rural desert hills of northwestern New Mexico. You can see her home depicted in paintings, photographs, and the artist’s sketches. These works bring you back to the rural New Mexico that O’Keeffe fell in love with.

Georgia O’Keeffe’s flower paintings are some of her most polarizing and famous works of art. The artist had an affinity for painting flowers since she was in school in Wisconsin. There, she started using watercolors for painting flowers such as jack-in-the-pulpit.

As her work evolved, she took on a more modernist approach to depicting flowers. All types of wildflowers and domesticated flowers made it onto her canvases. Paintings such as Orange and Red Canna of 1926 and Summer Days, painted in 1936, show two different approaches to using flowers in her work. Orange and Red Canna depicts a bright orange flower with vivid colors and imaginative textures. On the contrary, Summer Days uses flowers sparingly to provide juxtaposition between the living and the dead depicted in her piece.

By far her most unique aspect was her use of flowers to highlight empty space. In her depictions of New York, she would place a single lonely flower in the middle of gigantic minimalist skyscrapers. This made the viewer pay attention to the flower, even though it was far more humble in size than the towering skyscraper. Her flower paintings eventually became her most-priced works. In 2014, her piece Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 sold for over $44 million, making it one of the most expensive American art auction results in the last ten years.

6. Enjoy the Museum’s Events

Santa Fe is a bustling art-centered town and there’s always something creative to enjoy. The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum often features events that highlight this inherent creativity. Many events fall on holidays such as Earth Day and feature art demonstrations and plenty of family-oriented activities. Make sure to visit the museum’s website to find out what’s new and what’s to come. The museum also hosts workshops where you can learn how to create several styles of art, including O’Keeffe’s influential landscape styles. Space is limited, but if you register ahead of time, you’ll be able to participate in some of Santa Fe’s sought-after art classes.

Even if you can’t make it to Santa Fe, you can still see the museum’s large collection of works by O’Keeffe online. The museum’s digital collections offer a huge selection to choose from. You can see some of the artists’ most famous and lesser-known works of art, from paintings to sculptures. You’ll also have a huge collection of photographs at your fingertips. The digital collection includes information about the subject, the place where it was made or taken, and a little about the artist herself. By exploring the digital collection, you can choose your favorite works and coordinate your visit with the rotating exhibits.

8. See the Artist’s Sketches 

Most of O’Keeffe’s famous work started as humble sketches. The artist often sketched the world around her, from early childhood to her later years. The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum showcases some of the artist’s sketches and ideas. You can see what inspired her. Some of the highlights include O’Keeffe’s abstract sketches of people, places, and objects. These sketches show the depth of her creativity and ability to capture the world around her and turn it into thought-provoking art.

9. See Works From Artists Inspired by O’Keeffe

From her husband Alfred Stieglitz’s photographs to O’Keeffe-inspired drawings by the museum’s Drawn Archive Project, there’s plenty to experience here. O’Keefe’s influence on American modernism and local modernism in New Mexico is apparent in many works by the state’s most well-known artists. Artists such as Raymond Jonson and John Marin joined O’Keefe in establishing New Mexico’s place in creating American modernism. O’Keefe’s art influenced generations of new artists like American painters Emily Joyce and David Bradley or photographers such as Ansel Adams. During the museum’s monthly classes, you can learn from some of the best local artists who took inspiration in O’Keeffe’s work.

Georgia O’Keeffe’s legacy as an artist and a revolutionary who battled gender norms is well known. Throughout her life, she faced unlimited criticism from society and the art world for her portrayal of femininity through her work. At the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, you can see some of her most groundbreaking works of art that stirred controversy in the conservative art world of the early 20th century. Works such as the Ram’s Head White Hollyhock and Little Hills and the Radiator Building—Night New York were revolutionary at the time because of their surreal depictions of American society. You can also see the clothing style she chose to express herself as an artist and an individual in American society. She pushed the boundaries of fashion by wearing tailored suits, white colored shirts, and her signature western hats.