Skip to Main Content

O'Keeffe's Abiquiú Home

Georgia first visited the village of Abiquiú in 1931, and in 1949 made it her permanent home. O’Keeffe’s home in Abiquiú reveals her commitment to design and the aesthetics of her surroundings.

About

The Abiquiú Home & Studio is a quiet sanctuary surrounded by the rich landscape of the Rio Chama Valley. The special character of the property perfectly suited O’Keeffe’s needs and ultimately, inspired more than two dozen paintings: a door through the patio wall attracted her attention on a daily basis and she painted it more than twenty times. Similarly, the cottonwood trees, growing along the river below her studio, were the subject of more than two dozen paintings.

Below is a selection of works O'Keeffe created in Abiquiú. 

Related Works of Art

The painting conveys a simplified rendering of a patio. A light brown stripe runs along the lower portion of the scene. The building is painted in a slightly darker brown, while a square opening in the center of the building is an even deeper shade of brown. A strip of blue sky parallels the upper edge of the canvas.

In the Patio III, 1948

Georgia O'Keeffe. In the Patio III, 1948. Oil on canvas, 18 x 30 inches. Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. Gift of The Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation. © Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. [2006.5.204]

View from interior of Abiquiú patio with upper 2/3 of painting devoted to a vast blue sky dotted with a pattern of white clouds. The adobe wall in the lower center has one small turquoise window, and a strong angular shadow crosses the patio from left to right, creating one dark and one light triangle within the rectangle of the building's space.

In the Patio VIII, 1950

Georgia O'Keeffe. In the Patio VIII, 1950. Oil on canvas, 26 x 20 inches. Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. Gift of The Burnett Foundation and The Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation. © Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. [1997.5.8]

A large cottonwood grows from the lower left corner of the scene. Its trunk diverges into three thick branches as it rises above the ground. Soft patches of paint along the branches define the foliage. Similar cottonwoods grow in the distance. An irrigation ditch runs diagonally across the lower right corner of the scene, as well.

Early Spring Trees Above Irrigation Ditch, Abiquiu, 1950

Georgia O'Keeffe. Early Spring Trees Above Irrigation Ditch, Abiquiu, 1950. Oil on canvas, 30 x 26 inches. Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. Gift of The Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation. © Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. [2006.5.228]

A winding road enters the scene from the base of the canvas in the center. It curves to the right before weaving off into the distance to the left. A large, dark-colored mesa rises from the right side of the work, its hills sloping down towards the left. Several trees dot the landscape in the foreground. The sky is largely filled with clouds, with just a sliver of blue visible along the upper edge of the work.

Mesa and Road East, 1952

Georgia O'Keeffe. Mesa and Road East, 1952. Oil on canvas, 26 1/16 x 36 inches. Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. Gift of The Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation. © Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. [2006.5.234]

Abstract architectural adobe wall in earth tones that dominates most of the canvas. There is a large door shape in black on the right, and a sliver of blue sky above. Floating mid- canvas is a small greenish-yellow leaf delicately suspended in the color of the adobe.

Patio Door with Green Leaf, 1956

Georgia O'Keeffe. Patio Door with Green Leaf, 1956. Oil on canvas, 36 x 30 inches. Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. Gift of The Burnett Foundation and The Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation. © Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. [1997.4.14]