Georgia O’Keeffe is often admired for her independent spirit and is considered by many to be 
a feminist icon. However, her relationship to feminism—and the feminist label in particular—is more complicated. Having come of age when women still did not have the right to vote, O’Keeffe expressed her support of equal rights. She believed in parity for women and men and rallied against the confines of gender in order to be seen simply as an artist. It was this attitude that resulted in her repeated rejections of the feminist label. Her story, like those that line her personal library’s shelves, is part of a collective story of challenged norms, determination, failures, and successes that continues to inspire people today.
This selection of books from Georgia O’Keeffe’s personal library are by notable writers whose works have advanced the cause for women’s equality or have a feminist viewpoint, and includes writings focused on gender relations as well as women’s history and experiences. Together they offer a unique view into O’Keeffe’s collection and reflect the changing ideologies of women’s roles throughout time and cultures.
A Georgia O'Keeffe con frecuencia se le admira por su espíritu independiente y muchos consideran que es un ícono feminista. Sin embargo, su relación con el feminismo —y la etiqueta feminista en particular— es algo más complicado. Habiendo alcanzado la mayoría de edad cuando las mujeres todavía no tenían el derecho al voto, O’Keeffe expresó su apoyo a la igualdad de derechos. Creía en la paridad para las mujeres y los hombres y se manifestó en contra de los confines del género para ser vista simplemente como artista. Fue esta actitud la que resultó en su repetido rechazo de la etiqueta feminista. Su historia, como las que se ven en los estantes de su biblioteca personal, es parte de una historia colectiva de normas cuestionadas, determinación, fracasos y éxitos que sigue inspirando hasta la fecha.
Esta selección de libros de la biblioteca personal de Georgia O’Keeffe incluye prominentes escritores cuyas obras han avanzado la causa por la igualdad de las mujeres o tienen puntos de vista feministas e incluyen escritos que se enfocan en las relaciones de género así como la historia y experiencias de mujeres. En conjunto ofrecen un punto de vista singular en la colección de O’Keeffe y reflejan las ideologías cambiantes de los papeles de las mujeres a través del tiempo y culturas.
Exhibition: Feminist Writings from Georgia O'Keeffe's Personal Libraries
Location: Michael S. Engl Family Foundation Library and Archive, Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
Dates: May 2022 - March 2023
Curators: Tori Duggan, Elizabeth Ehrnst
Handout:
Left to right: (1) Agnes E. Meyer (1887-1970), Journey Through Chaos. (2) Kay Boyle (1902–1992), Wedding Day and Other Stories. (3) Mary Ritter Beard (1876-1958), On Understanding Women. (4) Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973), Of Men and Women. (5) Ashley Montagu (1905–1999), The Natural Superiority of Women. (6) Olive Schreiner (Ralph Iron, pseudonym) (1855–1920), The Story of an African Farm. Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), Tell My Horse. (7) Djuna Barnes (1892–1982), Nightwood. (8) Emma Goldman (1869–1940), Anarchism and Other Essays. (9) Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935), The Forerunner. (10) Kay Boyle (1902–1992), Short Stories.
Left to right: (12) Katherine Anne Porter (1890–1980), Flowering Judas and Other Stories. (13) Ettie Stettheimer (Henrie Waste, pseudonym) (1875–1955), Philosophy: An Autobiographical Fragment. (14) Anaïs Nin (1903–1977), Winter of Artifice. (15) Margery Latimer (1899–1932), We are Incredible. 16) Virginia Woolf (1882–1941), To the Lighthouse.
Left to right: (17) Gertrude Stein (1874–1946), The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas. (18) Gertrude Stein, Geography and Plays. (19) Gertrude Stein, Have They Attacked Mary. He giggled. (A political caricature). (20) Gertrude Stein, Lucy Church, Amiably. (21) Gertrude Stein, Portrait of Mabel Dodge at the Villa Curonia. (22) George Braque (1882–1963) and others, Testimony Against Gertrude Stein.
