in some odd way, it is a wasted life. —Georgia O’Keeffe
Following is an excerpt from the exhibition catalogue Ida O’Keeffe: Escaping Georgia’s Shadow, the first publication ever devoted to exploring the life and work of Ida Ten Eyck O’Keeffe. In the last months of Ida Ten Eyck O’Keeffe’s life in 1961, this harsh, clinical assessment is how Georgia O’Keeffe summed up—and devalued—the existence of the younger sister whom she had once deemed the “nicest girl I have ever known.” That warmth of feeling toward her cooled when Ida began to exhibit as an artist and received positive critical attention. Georgia, who clearly believed that there was room for only one painter in the family—and only one family member in the art world at large—grew distant from and disinterested in the life of her once favorite sister, dismissing Ida's ambitions and, at times, deriding the very idea that her younger sister possessed real talent at all. In the decades subsequent to Ida’s death, she has remained an obscure figure, her life glimpsed only through snippets of information that play a supporting role—that of providing historical context for her older sister in numerous (and voluminous) biographical tomes. Because Ida cannot speak for herself, she has been defined for us by Georgia, who never forgave Ida's refusal to stop exhibiting her own work. As hard as Ida tried to establish an artistic identity of her own, her art was (and probably will continue to be) compared to that of her famous sibling. Research for this exhibition and catalogue has recovered many works of art (paintings, watercolors, monotypes, and prints) that provide a measure of Ida’s talent and hint at greater possibilities had it been properly supported and nurtured. In addition, a substantial amount of information has been discovered about her life that, when scrutinized alongside correspondence, rewrites some aspects of her history as related through the literature on Georgia. These findings reveal that her life was a rich one that flowed naturally from her sociable nature and diverse interests. She knew how to live life and bring passion to her pursuits—whether as an artist, poet, short-story writer, or amateur cultural anthropologist. Ida’s was not so much a wasted life as a life lived constantly in the shadow of celebrity cast by her older sister. #IdaOKeeffe
The Ida O'Keeffe exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue of the same name, available in the DMA Store. DMA Members receive a 10% discount! Ida O’Keeffe: Escaping Georgia’s Shadow is organized by the Dallas Museum of Art. This exhibition is made possible by the visionary leadership and generosity of The Kaleta A. Doolin Foundation, a champion in creating equity in the art world for underrepresented artists. For two decades, The Kaleta A. Doolin Foundation has sought to elevate women artists through strategic museum acquisitions, exhibitions, and programming across artistic disciplines and eras. This exhibition is a testament to the foundation’s steadfast commitment, bringing artists like Ida into the spotlight they so aptly deserve.