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Georgia O'Keeffe Museum: Access O'Keeffe
Georgia O'Keeffe
Horse's Skull on Blue, 1931
Courtesy of Arizona State University Art Museum.
Image: okeeffe_CR776_horses-skull-on-blue_863458.jpg
Georgia O'Keeffe
Horse's Skull on Blue, 1931
Oil on canvas, 30 x 16 inches
CR No. 776
Collection of the Arizona State University Art Museum; Gift of Oliver B. James
Oil on canvas, 30 x 16 inches
Collection of the Arizona State University Art Museum; Gift of Oliver B. James
CR No. 776

This narrow composition features a long, bright white horse's skull. Its smooth surface contrasts with a textured background of draped blue fabric.

CR No. 776

Title (1999 Catalogue Raisonné)

Horse's Skull on Blue

Source of title: Whitney Archive, Downtown Gallery Archive, Abiquiú Notebooks.

General Remarks

Whitney Archive indicates, "Exam. at Amer. Place, March 1946. . . . No signature. On backing: In pencil, by O'Keeffe. 'Horse's Skull on Blue/Georgia O'Keeffe' [this is probably by Stieglitz, not verified]. American Place label, same title and date '1930' Note: This should be dated 1931. See Gallery photograph." Abiquiú Notebooks after 1977 indicates, "Sold by The Downtown Gallery in 1950." Whitney Archive, Downtown Gallery Archive date 1931. Downtown Gallery Archive, Abiquiú Notebooks date 1930. Dated 1931 on basis of inclusion in 1931–32 New York (An American Place) exhibition and Stieglitz–O'Keeffe correspondence, pictured in Stieglitz installation photograph, see Appendix III, figure 51. (Source: Lynes, 1999)

Lynes publication dates work as 1931, ASU Art Museum dates it as 1930. (Source: Information provided for Access O'Keeffe by ASU Art Museum, 2025)

Inscriptions

Stretcher: inaccessible Verso: inaccessible (Source: Lynes, 1999)

Technique

Oil Painting

Materials

Oil on canvas

Downtown Galleries, NYC to Oliver B. James, Phoenix, Arizona, Oliver B. James, Phoenix, Arizona to Arizona State College (University), Tempe, Arizona, January 1951 (Source: ASU Art Museum, 2025)

Credits & Rights

© Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

Administrative Information

Version History

Core fields last updated 3/30/2026

Last verified by current collection 2025

Source System ID

8790

Other IDs

776, Catalogue Raisonné