Georgia O’Keeffe and Henry Moore
American painter Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986) and British sculptor Henry Moore (1898–1986) are among the most distinctive artists of the 20th century. They have long been admired for their extraordinary distillations of natural forms into abstraction—O’Keeffe’s iconic paintings of flowers and Moore’s monumental public sculpture. This major exhibition is the first to bring these two artists into conversation, using compelling visual juxtapositions to explore their common ways of seeing. Each artist experimented with unusual perspectives, shifts in scale, and layered compositions to produce works that were informed by their surroundings—O’Keeffe in New Mexico and Moore in Hertfordshire, England.
Though both O’Keeffe and Moore remained within reach of city life, the two artists worked in rural settings, where they amassed large personal collections of animal bones, stones, seashells, and other natural materials that served as key sources of inspiration. Featuring more than 150 works, “Georgia O’Keeffe and Henry Moore” includes paintings, sculptures, and works on paper, as well as faithful recreations of each artist’s studio containing their tools and found objects. The studio installations illuminate the heart of their artistic practice—something rarely made visible in museum spaces—and create richer portraits of O’Keeffe and Moore by encouraging visitors to imagine how they worked and lived.
Organized by the San Diego Museum of Art, the exhibition is an unprecedented collaboration with the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and the Henry Moore Foundation. In addition to about 90 works by Moore and 60 by O’Keeffe, the MFA’s presentation draws on the Museum’s modernist collection to put O’Keeffe and Moore in dialogue with other mid-20th-century artists active in the United States and in Europe—among them Edward Weston, Barbara Hepworth, Arthur Dove, and Jean Arp—all of whom engaged with creating abstraction from nature.
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Art Credits
Georgia O’Keeffe, Jack-in-the-Pulpit No. 3, 1930. Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Alfred Stieglitz Collection, Bequest of Georgia O’Keeffe, 1987.58.2. © Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Georgia O’Keeffe, Leaf Motif No. 2, 1924. Oil on canvas. Collection of the McNay Art Museum, Mary and Sylvan Lang Collection, 1975.45. © 2024 Georgia O’Keeffe Museum / Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Georgia O’Keeffe, Abstraction, 1946, cast 1979–80. White lacquered bronze. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Gift of The Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation.
Henry Moore, Mother and Child, 1978. Stalactite. The Henry Moore Foundation.
Henry Moore, working model for Locking Piece, 1962. Bronze. The Henry Moore Foundation: gift of the artist 1977 LH 514.
Henry Moore, working model for Oval with Points, 1968–69, Bronze. © The Henry Moore Foundation: acquired 1993 LH 595 cast 0.
Georgia O’Keeffe, The White Calico Flower, 1931. Oil on canvas. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.
Georgia O’Keeffe, Pedernal, 1941, Oil on canvas. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Gift of the Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation, 2006.5.172. © 2024 Georgia O’Keeffe Museum / Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Georgia O’Keeffe, Canyon Country, White and Brown Cliffs, 1965. Oil on canvas. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Gift of the Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation, 2006.5.390. © 2024 Georgia O’Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
- Ann and Graham Gund Gallery (Gallery LG31)
Dive Deeper
Living Modern with Georgia O’Keeffe
Learn about the natural world’s influence on O’Keeffe’s art and life.
Featured Artwork
Georgia O’Keeffe, Jack-in-the-Pulpit No. 3, 1930
Henry Moore, Reclining Figure, 1959–1964
Georgia O’Keeffe, Red Hill and White Shell, 1938
Henry Moore, Mother and Child, 1978
Georgia O’Keeffe, Fishhook From Hawaii, No. 2 1939
Henry Moore, Thin Reclining Figure, 1979–1980
Georgia O’Keeffe, Deer’s Skull with Pedernal
Georgia O’Keeffe, Abstraction White Rose, 1927
Georgia O’Keeffe, White Rose with Larkspur No. 2, 1927
Georgia O’Keeffe, Leaf Motif No. 2, 1924
Henry Moore, Helmet, 1939–40
Georgia O’Keeffe, Pelvis IV, 1944
Henry Moore, Reclining Figure Bone, 1975
Georgia O’Keeffe, The White Flower (White Trumpet Flower), 1932
Georgia O’Keeffe, Red Tree, Yellow Sky, 1952
Henry Moore, Working Model for Standing Figure: Knife Edge, 1961
Edward Weston, Orchid, 1931
Georgia O’Keeffe, Calla Lily on Grey, 1928
Georgia O’Keeffe, Canyon Country, White and Brown Cliffs, 1965
Edward Weston, Skull and Rock-Arrangement, 1931
MFA Mobile
Download MFA Mobile on Bloomberg Connects to hear from the curators and other experts about the art and dive deeper into the exhibition. Several stops include guided slow looking, an opportunity for you to pause, take mindful time with the art, and make your own discoveries. The tour provides text transcripts and detailed audio descriptions of the featured artworks for visitors who are blind or have low vision.
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