BEVERLEY – Beverley Art Gallery is hosting a significant exhibition centred on one of the best-known artists of the 20th century. Georgia O’Keeffe: Memories of Drawings runs until 23rd May and brings a rare opportunity to see work connected to the American modernist here in Beverley.
The exhibition features 21 photogravure prints based on O’Keeffe’s drawings, spanning the years 1915 to 1963 and tracing her development over nearly five decades.
O’Keeffe is one of the most recognisable names in modern art. She became famous for paintings of flowers, landscapes, bones and natural forms, often shown at a dramatic scale. Her work helped define American modernism and she remains one of the most influential artists of the last century.
What gives this exhibition its interest is its focus on drawing. Rather than simply presenting the finished, famous images, it turns attention to the ideas and forms behind them. The prints move from early charcoal abstractions through to studies of flowers, landscapes and organic shapes, showing how drawing fed into her wider body of work.
The collection was created with O’Keeffe’s friend and agent Doris Bry and offers a close view of the motifs and visual ideas that stayed with the artist across her long career. It is a chance to see not just the public image of Georgia O’Keeffe, but something of the process behind it.
Hannah Willetts, curator at Beverley Art Gallery, said: “Georgia O’Keeffe is one of the most important modern artists of the 20th century.
“This month marks 40 years since her death, and this is a chance to celebrate her enduring impact and share her inspiring work with visitors to Beverley Art Gallery.”
Alongside the exhibition, Beverley Art Gallery will also present the 2024 documentary Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light, directed by Paul Wagner. The film features Claire Danes as the voice of O’Keeffe, with narration by Hugh Dancy, and is being shown as part of an art exhibition for the first time.
For visitors, the appeal is obvious. This is a chance to engage with the work and development of a major modern artist without travelling to London or further afield. The exhibition promises something more substantial than a passing attraction, giving audiences the opportunity to spend time with an artist whose work still carries huge cultural weight.
For Beverley Art Gallery, it is another sign of growing ambition. In recent years the gallery has been building a stronger programme and attracting more attention, helping to sharpen its identity and appeal. Hosting a Hayward Gallery Touring exhibition devoted to Georgia O’Keeffe suggests that progress is continuing.
Georgia O’Keeffe: Memories of Drawings runs at Beverley Art Gallery from 28 March to 23 May. Admission is free.