Georgia O'Keeffe: Living Modern

I have read many bio's of Georgia O'Keeffe and visited her home in Abiquiu, NM many times. I own probably dozens of books on her. I feel like I am very familiar with her life and her work. But this exhibition (which I regret not seeing in person) and this magnificent catalog bring a fresh, multilayered perspective to everything I thought I knew about her.By tapping into the huge legacy of her personal possessions and clothing that she left to her eponymous museum in Santa Fe, the exhibit explores how everything she made, wore, lived with was an expression and extension of her self. She curated her life and image. Whether this was as a way of controlling her PR or as an extension of her meticulous personal aesthetic, her creativity flowed through her entire life.This idea of her art and life being an inseparable whole is the "modern" in the title "Living Modern." It was unconventional for a woman to live as she did, and as the book/exhibit show, even more unconventional for a woman to assert her choices across so many areas of her life as she did. That sort of expression was becoming popular on the shoulders of the Arts and Crafts Movement and many other social changes, but few people, let alone women, carried it to the full expression as successfully as did Miss O'Keeffe. Frida Kahlo and Frank Lloyd Wright are two others whose lives are a full expression of their unique aesthetic.The book is very readable and informative, well organized and lavishly illustrated.If you are an admirer of Miss O'Keeffe you will enjoy it immensely, I guarantee! I hesitated to purchase it, thinking did I really need another expensive book on Georgia O'Keeffe? The answer: YES, YES and YES!

Love this book. Well researched and generously illustrated with photos. I appreciate the attention given to the influence of Asian philosophy, art, and fashion on O'Keeffe's personal style and painting. I'm sorry to have missed the exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, but grateful it's been so beautifully documented.

One of the best books I own about O'Keeffe, and I own them all. Author Corn has finally addressed the Art is Life/Life is Art main point about this remarkable American artist. Every book and article I've read on O'Keeffe since the 1960's, every exhibit I've seen, my visits to Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch, and the obvious relationship between the artist, her work, her environments, and her personal aesthetic comes together here ~ finally ~ in text, photos, and reproductions of her art. I will see the Brooklyn Museum exhibit of her work, clothing, and paintings in a few weeks, but this book is a good substitute in case one cannot see the exhibit. The book refreshingly and thoroughly discusses her refined and natural personal aesthetic, minus the dramatic details of her life that so often dominate her story. If you want drama, there are other better books for you. But if you want to see how a life slides smoothly in and out of the art it creates, to the point of a clear and thorough union, here is your tome, so satisfying. The text is very readable to a non-artist, the reproductions beautiful, and it contains photographs I had never seen before. This book is a must-have for anyone who loves her work and is fascinated by her as a creative person.

My therapist is a huge fan. i bought this as a gift for her in thanks of some great work together. she was so happy. great reviews from Amazon buyers led me to purchase. it arrived shrink wrapped and a lg, sturdy book. great price as its originally 2x the cost!

If you like Georgia O'Keeffe this is the book for you. Very complete in research. I have read a number of books on O'Keeffe and this one goes one step further with its photography of her lifestyle. A keeper for years to come.

" it is not the dress who makes the woman it is the woman who makes the dress"

I have been busy no time to read it yet. Looks like a great book

As a seamstress this very moving and inspiring! I've know this foe at least 50myears, but to actually read about her incredible through practice is overwhelming !

Fantastic!

Ho visto questa mostra a Brooklyn, era veramente bellissima. Ma c'è molto più materiale nel catalogo, immagini splendidi e rari.

Me encantó. Excelentemente bien representado el estilo de Georgia O'Keeffe. Las hermosas fotos de la ropa en verdad distinguen este libro de los miles que hay referente a O'Keeffe.