The Beyond, an oil on canvas painting by American artist Georgia O’Keeffe is at the center of a new show at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. It also features works by 20 Contemporary Artists.  Image: Crystal Bridges

REVIEW

Sculptures, murals, photographs, and paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe and 20 contemporary artists show how the legacy of the celebrated American artist continues to impact future generations.

BY KAZAD

BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS– The Beyond: Georgia O’Keeffe and Contemporary Art on view at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is an opportunity to appreciate Georgia O’Keeffe’s artistic career and her continued influence on young contemporary artists.  The show brings together sculptures, murals, photographs, paintings, and more by Georgia O’Keeffe and 20 contemporary artists working on similar themes.

Curated by Lauren Haynes, Curator, Contemporary Art, Crystal Bridges; and Chad Alligood, independent curator, the exhibition features 36 O’Keeffe works spanning her career. While some are from the museum’s collection, others were borrowed from public and private collections.  For a better understanding of the creative impulse and artistic career of this celebrated American artist, the show is divided into six themed sections: Flowers, Finding the Figure, The Intangible Thing, Still Lifes, Cities & Deserts, and The Beyond.

The Beyond, a 1972 oil and canvas by Georgia O’Keeffe is at the core of the show. This is one of the last works the artist completed unassisted as her eyesight began to fail. Done in the scheme of blue, the landscape is divided into almost two halves by a white line running through the center of the painting. There is a three-dimensionality to the painting. The dark foreground color guides the eyes to the middle ground and then the horizon.

The Beyond is very relevant in its substance. Its mystery raises several questions pertinent to the show and the life of the O’Keeffe.  The painting seems to raise an existential question: What is beyond the horizon after death?  The Beyond could also have been Georgia O’Keeffe’s way of questioning how her art would influence young generation of contemporary artists after she was gone. If that is the case, the answer is clear from the works of the contemporary artists on display. Her works continue to have a great impact on contemporary artists who continue to look to her for inspiration.

In The Beyond, O’Keeffe’s pioneering works are interspersed among the works of contemporary artists who evoke, investigate, and expand upon her artistic legacy. They include Negar Ahkami, Milano Chow, Cynthia Daignault, Sharona Eliassaf, Monica Kim Garza, Loie Hollowell, Pearl C. Hsiung, Louise Jones, Kim Keever, Molly Larkey, Caroline Larsen, Mark Lewis, Wardell Milan, Jennifer Packer, Dylan Gebbia-Richards, Andy Robert, Matthew Ronay, Tschabalala Self, Anna Valdez and Britny Wainwright.

Georgia O’Keeffe, Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1, 1932. Image: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

The Flowers section brings into focus one of O’Keeffe passion throughout her career. O’Keeffe began painting flowers in 1924 as a response to modern architecture and the Machine Age.  One of the works by O’Keeffe in this section is Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1(1932). The artist used this work to bring attention to the beauty of the flower and why it is important to pay attention to nature. Dominating the piece is the White flower in immaculate glory. Surrounding the flower are leaves in different shades of green. Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 sold for $44.4 million at a Sotheby’s auction in 2014, making Georgia O’Keeffe the highest-selling woman in art.

The flower section also includes works by artists responding to subjects ranging from police violence to the contemporary economy. One of the works by artists influenced by O’Keeffe is Picked from the Garden of Celestial Delights, (2018).

Created by Detroit artist, Louise Jones in the corridor outside the exhibition, the 30-foot-tall floral mural includes Coral Charm Peony and Butterfly Flowering. Jones’ approach to painting stems from her interest in exploring femininity and serves as a means to explore shape and color.  Before creating this site-specific mural, Jones spent time with local experts to learn about the native plants and flora of the Ozarks. The result of that study is Picked from the Garden of Celestial Delights, (2018).

In the Cities and Deserts section of the show are two of O’Keeffe’s great subjects: the skyscrapers of New York City and the rolling deserts of New Mexico. One of the works is Radiator Building—Night, New York (1927).  This painting is from a series the artist created after she moved with her new husband into an apartment on the 30th floor of the Shelton Hotel.

From the height of her new home, O’Keeffe got an expansive view of the city.  The captivating elements of the city influenced Radiator Building—Night, New York (1927).  Done in the Precisionist style, the painting depicts the American Radiator Building at night. Using lights shining through the windows of the building as design, O’Keeffe creates a glorious building in New York’s dark landscape.

As with other sections of the exhibition, several contemporary artists demonstrate a similar interest in cityscapes and landscapes as a way of conveying complex meaning and feeling.  One of such artists is Tulsa-based artist Mark Lewis. Lewis focuses on daily life within the fabric of the city, and his work Peoria Ave. No. 7, (2011), captures the energy of his hometown. Made on-location, the graphite and paper collage streetscape brings to the fore, the pulsating energy that is Peoria Ave.

Stars to Dust, Dust to Stars (2016), by Sharona Eliassaf shows how young artists are advancing the influences of O’Keeffe in their works. The colorful paintings made of oil and spray paint on canvas demonstrate a global reach, reflecting the artist’s trips between New York City and Israel, which she has been making since childhood. In her imagined landscapes, Eliassaf blends television game shows, whose backdrops are instantly recognizable in her work, with the geometric rhythm of city skylines.

Sharona Eliassaf, Stars to Dust, Dust to Stars 2016. Oil and spray on canvas 60x200cm 63x79inches

Other works by O’Keeffe on displaying the show include  Flying Backbone (1944), Abstraction (modeled 1946, cast ca. 1979-1980), one of the few sculptures O’Keeffe created, is also on view, as well as several of her sketchbooks for the first time. Often called the mother of American Modernism, Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), created some of the most enduring art of twentieth-century with images of enormous flowers, luscious colors, landscapes, feminine forms, and still lifes.

The same elements that make O’Keeffe’s works recognizable have inspired artists for generations. That inspiration is revealed in the works of the contemporary artists whose works appear sides by side with that of O’Keeffe. In addition to introducing these contemporary artists to a larger audience, it shows how they are crying on O’Keeffe’s artistic legacy.

The inclusion of works by some contemporary artists, Lauren Haynes, Crystal Bridges Curator, Contemporary Art notes, brings particular focus to the importance of O’Keeffe’s works and influences. She notes:  “The pairing of an American icon with a group of 20 contemporary makers who have their own diverse set of practices and life experiences, opens up new conversations and possibilities, encouraging visitors to look closely.”

To bring deeper context to  show,  eleven of the artists from The Beyond are also “leading talks and workshops at the museum, giving visitors a rare chance to hear directly from them for a deeper understanding of the ongoing relevance of O’Keeffe’s work and connections between our collective history and our present,” adds Haynes.

The Beyond: Georgia O’Keeffe and Contemporary Art points to O’Keeffe as a touchstone of Modern art.  The hope is that the extraordinary blend of iconic, rare, and contemporary works in this exhibition will give visitors a broader understanding of O’Keeffe’s diverse body of work. Above all,  it will encourage visitors to discover new artists who are working today in their own unique artistic language, expanding upon O’Keeffe’s exploration of these particular themes.

Soon after the presentation at the Crystal Bridges, the exhibition will travel the country, sharing the legacy of O’Keeffe while introducing visitors to the next generation of artists exploring the unfolding American story. It will be at the North Carolina Museum of Art from October 13, 2018, to January 20, 2019, and then it will travel to the New Britain Museum of American Art, February 22 to June 2, 2019.

Georgia O’Keeffe, Radiator Building-Night, New York, 1927. Image: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

The Beyond: Georgia O’Keeffe and Contemporary Art on view May 26 through September 3, 2018.