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Home is where the art is: 'Artful Living' dives deep into the interior design of Georgia O'Keeffe's home and studio
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Georgia O鈥橩eeffe鈥檚 Abiqui煤 home may have been her greatest work of art.
Nestled in the desert landscape sits this unlikely mid-century鈥搈odern masterpiece. With a discerning eye for design, Georgia O鈥橩eeffe transformed a traditional adobe home into an artist鈥檚 sanctuary. With its large picture windows, skylights, open concept layout and modern furnishings, O鈥橩eeffe鈥檚 home circumvents regional norms 鈥� yet still includes original architectural features and traditional adobe treatments.
The Georgia O鈥橩eeffe Museum Welcome Center鈥檚 newest exhibition, 鈥淎rtful Living: O鈥橩eeffe and Modern Design鈥� showcases the artist鈥檚 aesthetic and the way she incorporated it into her traditional adobe home well into the 1980s.
Home is where the art is: 'Artful Living' dives deep into the interior design of Georgia O'Keeffe's home and studio
鈥淲e鈥檙e doing a deep dive into the interior design of O鈥橩eeffe鈥檚 home and studio,鈥� said curator Giustina Renzoni.
Despite being miles from design hubs like New York or Chicago, O鈥橩eeffe鈥檚 connections with furniture and textile designers, coupled with her keen sense of style, resulted in a dynamic space where the artist could experiment with color, pattern and texture.
O鈥橩eeffe lived in the home and studio from 1949 to 1984. Its design shifted through the decades as the artist learned more about contemporary trends and collected throughout her travels.
It also knits her to her art.
鈥淥鈥橩eeffe鈥檚 home was very meticulously crafted to create an environment where she could be inspired,鈥� Renzoni said. 鈥淪he was constantly changing the appearance of her home.鈥�
When she moved into the house, she didn鈥檛 have much furniture. In the 1950s, she was fascinated by black and white; by the 1960s, she leaned toward color.
Today, 鈥渋t鈥檚 certainly more subdued, but you鈥檒l find a pop of color in every room,鈥� Renzoni said.
Toward the end of her life, the decor grew more neutral.
鈥淚t was more of a place of contemplation and meditation,鈥� Renzoni said.
The exhibition showcases O鈥橩eeffe鈥檚 relationships with mid-century designers such as Alexander and Susan Girard, Ray and Charles Eames, and Isamu Noguchi. She traveled internationally with the Girards and received custom pieces from the Eameses.
鈥淥鈥橩eeffe had a lot of items from Finland, Scandinavia and Denmark,鈥� Renzoni said. 鈥淎 lot of mid-century modern is very minimalist. It鈥檚 really the form while being very functional. Even though she was in New Mexico, O鈥橩eeffe was very in touch with the design trends.鈥�
The artist collected textiles from the Finnish company Marimekko.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e still in operation today,鈥� Renzoni said. 鈥淭hey became famous for bright patterns and saturated colors. The clothes they created focused on comfort. These were clothes for the modern woman, so it was perfect for O鈥橩eeffe.鈥�
Visitors will see photographs of her home across the decades, as well as chairs, tables, lamps and clothing.
鈥淲e have some of her homewares on display 鈥� dishes, a teapot,鈥� Renzoni added. 鈥淪he created for herself a modern environment which was the perfect place for her to create art.鈥�
