A new Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit opens a window to unfamiliar works

Updated on: November 1, 2026 / 11:04 AM EST / CBS News

When you hear the name Georgia O'Keeffe, architecture may not immediately come to mind. "So many people know Georgia O'Keeffe as a painter of flowers, or maybe they know her landscapes, or her paintings of bones; so, something like a barn, I know, is a surprise for many people," said curator Ben Colman. "Curiously, flower pictures represent only about 10% of her artwork."

A new exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts, titled "Georgia O'Keeffe: Architecture," is painting a different portrait of the artist, showcasing her architectural works through an autobiographical lens.

"We are looking at the places where she lived and worked, the places that were really formative to her as an individual and as a painter," said Colman.

O'Keeffe was born in 1887 on a Wisconsin dairy farm, a source of inspiration in her works. "When she painted ["My Shanty, Lake George"], she wanted to challenge what she considered misunderstandings of her art," said Colman. "She was very conscious, and maybe self-conscious, about selecting subjects that would not be perceived as typically feminine in their composition."

She would later live in Manhattan, just as skyscrapers began…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/