Art + Fashion: Georgia O'Keeffe

Inspired by Markus Lüpertz’s dapper style when he was in town for the opening of his exhibition at The Phillips Collection, some of our staff decided to take a look at other artists known for their unique fashion sense. Today, we focus on Georgia O’Keeffe. 

 Georgia O’Keeffe was very deliberate in how she dressed—she resisted conventional attire of the time like corsets, and instead made her own clothing. While her paintings are largely colorful, O’Keeffe most often wore black and white swaths of fabric that some say leaned towards masculinity, which may seem odd since her work is often associated with the female body. However, Wanda Corn, the curator of Georgia O’Keeffe: Living Modern at the Brooklyn museum, believes that O’Keeffe “… created a signature body to go along with her signature art. She covered her body and head with abstract shapes, like she did her canvases.” O’Keeffe resisted being labeled as a feminist, even though her husband, photographer Alfred Stieglitz, encouraged that interpretation of her paintings. O’Keeffe wasn’t trying to become a fashion icon, but instead simply wanted to forge her own path, both in how she dressed and how she painted. I certainly think she achieved that.

Remy Kauffmann, Stewardship Manager, Corporate Relations and Partnerships