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Georgia O'Keeffe
Blue-Headed Indian Doll, 1935
Georgia O'Keeffe
Blue-Headed Indian Doll, 1935
Watercolor and graphite on paper, 21 1/16 x 12 1/8 inches
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
Gift of The Burnett Foundation
1997.6.9

In the Hopi culture, the term Katsina (Katsinam, plural), also Kachina, is only used in reference to spirit beings. The Hopi term for the carved wooden figures that represent the Katsinam is Katsina tihu (tithu, plural). Georgia O'Keeffe created paintings of Hopi Katsina dolls (tithu) between 1931 and 1942. These religious figures were highly visible and available to non-Hopi and non-Pueblo people during this time, but the museum has no record regarding why she painted or drew these figures nor where she saw them. ^ ^ A vertical full-frontal object-portrait of the blue-headed kachina doll that O'Keeffe owned. The head is blue with black dots for eyes and mouth, on a body painted red, white, yellow, and decorated with feathers.
DETAILS

Catalogue Raisonné Number

860

Inscriptions

Inscriptions: Backing:
1. "Blue Headed Indian Doll / 1935" (graphite)
2. OK * (graphite)

Provenance

(Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, N.Mex.), 1984 Private collection, Dallas, Tex., 1984 Gerald and Kathleen Peters, Santa Fe, N.Mex., 1989 The Burnett Foundation, Fort Worth, Tex., 1995

Exhibition History

1936 New York (An American Place), no. 17, as Katchina
1985 Santa Fe, no. 31
1986 New York (Hirschl & Adler), no. 19
1990 Santa Fe, no. 18
1992 Kansas City
1993 London (Lefevre), no. 12
1995 New York
2007 Santa Fe (O'Keeffe) Permanent Collection (Living Artists: Sherrie Levine)
2013 Santa Fe (O'Keeffe) Katsina; all venues
CREDITS & RIGHTS

© Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Burnett Foundation Gift


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INFORMATION

Source System ID

80