Hibiscus with Plumeria

Artist

Georgia O'Keeffe, born Sun Prairie, WI 1887-died Santa Fe, NM 1986

Gallery Label

Intrigued by the opportunity to paint tropical flora, Georgia O'Keeffe accepted an offer from the Dole Pineapple Company for an all-expenses paid trip to the state of Hawaii to create a painting for the company's 1939 advertising campaign. She visited Maui, O'ahu, Hawai'i, and Kaua'i, painting the islands' dramatic gorges, waterfalls, and tropical flowers, among them Hibiscus with Plumeria. Pink and yellow petals towering against a clear blue sky transform the delicate blossoms into a joyous monumentality. But of the twenty canvases of Hawaii she completed, none showed a pineapple. Only after Dole had one flown to New York did she finally, if reluctantly, paint the desired fruit.

Credit Line

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sam Rose and Julie Walters

1939

Object number

2004.30.6

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Painting

Medium

oil on canvas

Dimensions

40 x 30 in. (101.6 x 76.2 cm)

Department

Painting and Sculpture

On View

Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2nd Floor, North Wing

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Topic

Object\flower\hibiscus

Object\flower\plumeria

Record ID

saam_2004.30.6

Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)

Not determined

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk788927a5f-4923-4299-ac1a-a35f153e35d5