The modernist Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) was one of the most important American artists in the history of world art. She entered the New York art scene around 1916 – several decades before women were allowed to study art at American institutions. In 1946, O'keeffe's solo show opened at MoMA – the first ever exhibition at MoMA devoted solely to a female artist. New Mexico became O'keeffe's cradle of art and permanent safe-haven, which is also where she created her most famous series of works. They feature animal skulls and close-ups of flowers, painted on such impressively large canvases that the compositions become almost abstract to the viewer. Staying faithful to the themes of her paintings, the artist surrounded herself with a bitter-sweet personality, reaching cult-icon status in her own lifetime. O'keeffe's works are rarely seen in European exhibitions, which is why Helsinki's Tennis Palace Art Museum is indulging their visitors by  showing the first-ever Georgia O'keeffe solo show in Finland, from June 8 through September 9. More than 60 paintings and drawings can be viewed in the exhibition, as well as a few sculptures, personal items and photographs that illuminate her career and life. The photographs were taken by O'keeffe's husband, the illustrious artist and promoter of modern art, Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946).

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