Synopses & Reviews
There are few couples in the history of 20th-century American art and culture more prominent than Georgia O'Keeffe (1887and#8211;1986) and Alfred Stieglitz (1864and#8211;1946). Between 1915, when they first began to write to each other, and 1946, when Stieglitz died, O'Keeffe and Stieglitz exchanged over 5,000 letters (more than 25,000 pages) that describe their daily lives in profoundly rich detail. This long-awaited volume features some 650 letters, carefully selected and annotated by leading photography scholar Sarah Greenough.
In O'Keeffe's sparse and vibrant style and Stieglitz's fervent and lyrical manner, the letters describe how they met and fell in love in the 1910s; how they carved out a life together in the 1920s; how their relationship nearly collapsed during the early years of the Depression; and how it was reconstructed in the late 1930s and early 1940s. At the same time, the correspondence reveals the creative evolution of their art and ideas; their friendships with many of the most influential figures in early American modernism (Charles Demuth, Arthur Dove, Marsden Hartley, John Marin, and Paul Strand, to name a few); and their relationships and conversations with an exceptionally wide range of key figures in American and European art and culture (including Duncan Phillips,and#160;Diego Rivera, D. H. Lawrence, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Marcel Duchamp). Furthermore, their often poignant prose reveals insights into the impact of larger cultural forcesand#8212;World Wars I and II; the booming economy of the 1920s; and the Depression of the 1930sand#8212;on two articulate, creative individuals.
Review
“A definitive, scholarly landmark.”—Library Journal Library Journal
Review
and#8220;Greenoughand#8230;provides passages of text to complete the narrative of the coupleand#8217;s relationship and also to provide insights and analysis.and#8221; and#8212;Los Angeles Review of Books
Review
and#8220;A love story pitched at the highest romantic level.and#8221;and#8212;New York Times Book Review
Review
and#8220;Talk about a book bargain! At a time when an ordinary novel might cost $25 or more, you can acquire for just under $40 the intimate correspondence between two of the most important and influential American artists of all time: the great photographer Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946) and the arguably even greater painter Georgia Oand#8217;Keeffe (1887-1986).and#8221; and#8212;Washington Post
Review
"Senior curator and head of the department of photographs at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Greenough is a leading Stieglitz scholar. She was told by O'Keeffe in 1981 to make the book 'beautiful' and 'honest.' She has done both."and#8212;Hunter Drohojowska-Philp, Art News
Review
and#8220;Human drama and#8212; and much else and#8212; appears in their letters, but is usefully clarified in the excellent footnotes and interspersed biographical material by editor Sarah Greenough, an authority on the work of Stieglitz and Oand#8217;Keeffe.and#8221; and#8212;Los Angelesand#160;Times
Review
“This volume brings us the missing pieces in the jigsaw puzzle of OKeeffes life.” —ARTnews Los Angeles Times
Review
Won an award in the typographic category in the 2012 AAUP Book, Jacket and Journal Show
Review
and#8220;A definitive, scholarly landmark.and#8221;and#8212;Library Journal
Review
and#8220;This volume brings us the missing pieces in the jigsaw puzzle of Oand#8217;Keeffeand#8217;s life.and#8221; and#8212;ARTnews
Synopsis
The first extensive publication from the extraordinary archive of private correspondence between two of this country's most famous artists
There are few couples in the history of 20th-century American art and culture more prominent than Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) and Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946). Between 1915, when they first began to write to each other, and 1946, when Stieglitz died, O'Keeffe and Stieglitz exchanged over 5,000 letters (more than 25,000 pages) that describe their daily lives in profoundly rich detail. This long-awaited volume features some 650 letters, carefully selected and annotated by leading photography scholar Sarah Greenough.
In O'Keeffe's sparse and vibrant style and Stieglitz's fervent and lyrical manner, the letters describe how they met and fell in love in the 1910s; how they carved out a life together in the 1920s; how their relationship nearly collapsed during the early years of the Depression; and how it was reconstructed in the late 1930s and early 1940s. At the same time, the correspondence reveals the creative evolution of their art and ideas; their friendships with many of the most influential figures in early American modernism (Charles Demuth, Arthur Dove, Marsden Hartley, John Marin, and Paul Strand, to name a few); and their relationships and conversations with an exceptionally wide range of key figures in American and European art and culture (including Duncan Phillips, Diego Rivera, D. H. Lawrence, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Marcel Duchamp). Furthermore, their often poignant prose reveals insights into the impact of larger cultural forces--World Wars I and II; the booming economy of the 1920s; and the Depression of the 1930s--on two articulate, creative individuals.
About the Author
Sarah Greenough is senior curator and head of the department of photographs at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. She is the author ofand#160;Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set and many other critically acclaimed books on modern photography.