For the Acquisition Board meeting, Lucy and I selected Elizabeth Peyton’s oil painting, Georgia O’Keeffe (After Stieglitz 1918), from 2006. As soon as I saw the work, I was instantly intrigued by its power. Peyton, depicting O’Keeffe with her chin held high and shoulders drawn back. makes O’Keeffe seem incredibly confident. The harsh and sharp black lines and contrasting colors that Peyton employs, moreover, adds to the angularity of O’Keeffe’s facial structure, adds a sense of decisive strength to the work. For this work, Peyton used Alfred Stieglitz’s photograph of O’Keeffe from 1918 as the source image. The work, therefore, seems very relevant to the YUAG as its collection includes work by both Stieglitz and O’Keeffe.

Originally, I was very interested in a work by Jean Dubuffet. However, as I considered the YUAG’s current collection, I felt that one of the areas in which the gallery could improve is in their inclusion of women. Last year, I was greatly impressed by the Annie Albers show and would like to see the legacy of that show continue. By selecting Peyton’s work, rather than Dubuffet’s, the YUAG could highlight the power of female artists, placing Peyton’s work next to that of O’Keeffe.

Elizabeth Peyton, Georgia O’Keeffe (After Stieglitz 1918), 2006 signed, titled, and dated 2006 on the overlap oil on canvas, 30 1/4 by 23 1/4 in.