RALEIGH, NC.- The North Carolina Museum of Art is presenting two special exhibitions, The Beyond: Georgia O’Keeffe and Contemporary Art and Candida Höfer in Mexico, October 13, 2018, to January 20, 2019. Alongside more than 35 paintings and sculpture by this founder of American modernism, The Beyond includes works by emerging artists including Louise Jones, Anna Valdez, and Britny Wainwright that evoke and expand upon O’Keeffe’s innovative artistic language. Candida Höfer in Mexico features 25 large-scale “portraits” by photographer Candida Höfer of magnificent interiors of libraries, convents, theaters, churches, and museums throughout Mexico.

“These two exciting exhibitions showcase groundbreaking work from two preeminent female artists,” says Museum Director Larry Wheeler. “The exhibitions are both supported by the NCMA’s ongoing initiative, Matrons of the Arts, created to bring in more exhibitions by female artists, acquire more work by them, and support programming and events surrounding work by female artists.”

The Beyond: Georgia O’Keeffe and Contemporary Art
Georgia O’Keeffe pioneered revolutionary ways of visually interpreting the world, leaving a lasting legacy for artists working today. This innovative exhibition brings together more than 35 of O’Keeffe’s works as the centerpiece of an exploration of her continued force as a touchstone for contemporary art.

“The Beyond establishes Georgia O’Keeffe’s legacy as not only one of the most iconic and enduring artists of the 20th century, but also as one of the most influential and inspirational artists for the generations that followed her,” says Linda Dougherty, chief curator and curator of contemporary art. “Her legacy is highlighted here in the works of 20 contemporary artists who explore themes and ideas found in O’Keeffe’s work.”

The Beyond presents a conversation between many of O’Keeffe’s most important works and the work of 20 emerging artists, selected for their individual approaches to O’Keeffe’s powerful themes, including flowers, bodies, still lifes, skyscrapers, desert landscapes, and the interplay between realism and abstraction. The exhibition introduces audiences to a new generation of American artists, providing a fresh look at O’Keeffe through the lens of contemporary art.

Candida Höfer in Mexico
For decades photographer Candida Höfer (German, born 1944) has made “portraits” of iconic buildings around the world, including the Louvre in Paris, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, La Scala in Milan, Villa Borghese in Rome, and the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. Höfer’s technical mastery of composition, light, and symmetry offers viewers a glimpse beneath the surface, toward the heart and character of each place, in visually stunning, monumentally scaled photographs of the world’s great architecture.

In 2015 Höfer turned her camera, and her interest, toward Mexico. This exhibition features 25 large-format photographs of magnificent interiors of libraries, convents, theaters, churches, and museums throughout Mexico. For Höfer these structures encapsulate the essence of Mexican culture, covering an impressive timeline of 600 years from the 16th century to the 21st.