Artist Georgia O’Keeffe Unlocks the Feminine Mystique of Hawai’i in a Lavish New Book

By Theresa Papanikolas | DelMonico Books; $35

The work of Georgia O’Keeffe is easily recognized by its channeling of the female form into all manner of subject matter, and this telltale imagery is in full effect here, in this volume celebrating O’Keeffe’s adventures in our fiftieth state. In 1939 (at age 51), the artist was already one of the most famed in the U.S. That’s when she took a nine-week trip to Hawai’i as part of a commission from the Hawaiian Pineapple Company. The resulting 20 paintings offer lush interpretations of the islands’ natural life — each suffused in its own way with O’Keeffe’s signature nod to mother-energy. If you’re interested in seeing these works off the page, they’ll appear at the New York Botanical Garden starting May 19, 2018. (By Paul Hagen)