Hibiscus with Plumeria

Object Details

Date
1939
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.
Topic
Object\flower\hibiscus
Object\flower\plumeria
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Painting and Sculpture
On View
Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2nd Floor, North Wing
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sam Rose and Julie Walters
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object number
2004.30.6
Type
Painting
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
40 x 30 in. (101.6 x 76.2 cm)
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk788927a5f-4923-4299-ac1a-a35f153e35d5
Record ID
saam_2004.30.6