Georgia O鈥橩eeffe鈥檚 clothing provides insight into the artist
The aesthetic sensibility of an iconic American artist who remains a muse for designers to this day is explored in 鈥�,鈥� which was recently on view in the New York borough of Brooklyn and in North Carolina and is now at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass., from Dec. 16 through April 1, 2018.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the first time you鈥檙e going to see Georgia O鈥橩eeffe鈥檚 paintings in the context of her wardrobe, which has never been seen before, and photographs of her,鈥� says Austen Barron Bailly, the George Putnam Curator of American Art at the Peabody. 鈥淪o this is really the first exhibition to look at O鈥橩eeffe鈥檚 entire creative practice as a painter, as a woman, as a person, and as a subject for dozens and dozens of great American photographers.鈥�
The exhibition contains garments that
O鈥橩eeffe designed and handmade such as an ivory silk ensemble, a black wool dress with pleats, denim and chambray shirts, and bandannas. The clothing and colors reveal the artistic choices O鈥橩eeffe made, adapting a black-and-white wardrobe from her time in New York to the rugged landscape of her new home in the Southwest and always striving for simplicity and practicality in what she wore.聽
Works on display include oil and watercolor paintings, garments, accessories, jewelry, photographs, and sculpture.聽
O鈥橩eeffe鈥檚 signature style is still felt today. Her path to celebrity and her lingering influence are major themes running throughout the exhibition.聽 聽
鈥淪he really became a household name,鈥� Ms. Bailly says. 鈥淭hese photographs of her were widely published until people became very familiar with her persona, sometimes more than her art. What鈥檚 great about this show is that it gives you a chance to put all the pieces back together and really understand her [with] a more 360-degree view of this truly exceptional creative person.鈥�
