As one of the world’s most famous and expensive female artists, Georgia O’Keeffe is best known for her stunning watercolor depictions of the natural world, especially flowers and landscapes of the American West. Her canvases command millions of dollars apiece.
But as a new cookbook reveals, O’Keeffe was also passionate about food and cooking—including an emphasis on sourcing exotic natural ingredients from all over the world, making food from scratch, and designing her own zen-style kitchens—decades before such trends became all the rage with hipsters and tastemakers alike.
After months of research in New Mexico, including sorting through a treasure trove of O’Keeffe’s newspaper and magazine clippings, as well as handwritten recipes, Australian author and photographer Robyn Lea has produced Dinner With Georgia O’Keeffe: Recipes, Art & Landscape (Assouline 2017). A gorgeous tome that transports the reader to New Mexico, the volume features vivid color photographs of finished dishes set on rustic tablescapes, along with black and white shots of O’Keeffe at home in her kitchen cooking, entertaining guests, working in the garden, or strolling the land.
In the introduction to the book, Lea writes that what fascinated her most was “how the three elements of food, art, and nature worked together both visually and philosophically in O’Keeffe’s life.”
There are about 50 very accessible recipes featured in the book, which is divided into somewhat haphazard categories that include soups; main courses; breads, pancakes, waffles and soufflés; salads, sides, dressings, and sauces; and sweets, treats, and drinks.
Courtesy Assouline.
Throughout, Lea focuses on the interconnected realms of food and art in O’Keeffe’s life. The house in Abiquiui, which the artist had built to her specifications “was the realization of O’Keeffe’s long-held dream… Here the expansive natural environment was her studio, and food, art, and nature were lived in exquisite balance.”
See more photographs from the new publication:
Isadoras © Robyn Lea
Banana Bread with Pecans and Buttermilk, © Robyn Lea
Farmhouse Rye Bread, © Robyn Lea
Golden Baked Southern Style Spoon Bread, © Robyn Lea
Sukhe Alu, © Robyn Lea
Ingredients for cheese souffle, © Robyn Lea
Brightest Borscht with Sour Cream and Dill, © Robyn Lea