Career-spanning retrospective to make its only North American stop in Toronto

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is set to present a major retrospective of pioneering American painter Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986), featuring over 100 paintings by one the 20th century’s most successful and influential modernists. The exhibition will examine O’Keeffe’s entire career, charting the progression of her practice from her early abstract experiments to her late work, in addition to her trajectory west, and her profound influence and legacy. Organized by Tate Modern in collaboration with the AGO and the Bank Austria Kunstforum, Vienna, Georgia O’Keeffe will make its only North American stop in Toronto in the summer of 2017.

Opening with the moment of her first showings at the 291 gallery in New York in 1916 and 1917, the exhibition will feature O’Keeffe’s earliest mature works made while she was working as a teacher in Virginia and Texas. The works on display—from her charcoals to a select group of vibrant watercolours and oils— investigate the relationship of form to landscape, music, colour and composition, and reveal O’Keeffe’s growing interest in synaesthesia: the ability to interpret music as colour.

A section in the exhibition will consider O’Keeffe’s professional and personal relationship with her husband, world-renowned photographer, art dealer and modern art advocate Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946). A selection of photography by Stieglitz will be shown, including portraits and nudes of O’Keeffe, as well as key figures from the avant-garde art circle of the time, including Marsden Hartley (1877–1943) and John Marin (1870–1953).

“This partnership with Tate Modern adds to the slate of major collaborations we have established with some of the best art institutions in the world,” says Stephanie Smith, AGO Chief Curator. “Due to its depth, scope, and its focus on dispelling persistent clichés surrounding the work of this great artist, this will be one of the most significant exhibitions of O’Keeffe’s art ever presented in Canada. We’re delighted to work with our colleagues in London to bring it to Toronto.”

Another great exhibition to look forward to in 2017!  More information about the exhibition will be forthcoming, closer to the date of its opening here at the Gallery.