Alfred Henry O'Keeffe facts for kids

Alfred Henry O'Keeffe (born 21 July 1858 – died 27 July 1941) was a talented New Zealand artist and art teacher. He spent most of his life in Dunedin. In the early 1900s, he was one of the few New Zealand artists who explored new art ideas while staying in New Zealand. At that time, many other adventurous painters, like Frances Hodgkins, traveled overseas to learn. O'Keeffe is sometimes seen as a "recorder" of artists and their lives because of his published memories, which give a rare look into the art world of his time.

Early Life and Art Training

Alfred O'Keeffe was born in Sandhurst, Victoria, Australia in 1858. Around 1865, his family moved to Dunedin, New Zealand. He studied art at the Dunedin School of Art from about 1881 to 1886. Later, in 1894–1895, he went to the famous Académie Julian in Paris to continue his studies.

He started showing his artwork at the Otago Art Society in 1886. He also exhibited his paintings with many other art groups across New Zealand. During his younger years, he enjoyed being part of boating and cycling clubs.

Balancing Art and Family Life

It wasn't always easy for O'Keeffe to be a full-time artist. He had a wife and six children to support. Before going to Paris, he managed a hotel in Dunedin called the Liverpool Arms Hotel. After returning from Paris, from 1896 to 1905, he ran the Outram Hotel.

To earn more money, he also taught art. When he lived in Outram, he would walk 14 miles to Dunedin to teach private art classes. He taught at the Dunedin School of Art from 1912 until it temporarily closed in 1920. In the early 1920s, he taught at the 'Barn Studio' with another artist named Mabel Hill. Her portrait of O'Keeffe from 1913 is now in the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.

A Family's Loss and Art's Reflection

Sadly, four of O'Keeffe's six children passed away before him. His two sons, Lawrence and Victor, were both killed in 1915 during World War I at Gallipoli. This very sad experience inspired his most famous painting, The Defence Minister's Telegram (1921). This painting, now in the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, shows an older man receiving the heartbreaking news of his son's death. One of his daughters died in 1917, and another in 1939.

O'Keeffe passed away at his home in Dunedin in 1941. He was buried at Andersons Bay Cemetery.

O'Keeffe's Artistic Style

O'Keeffe created some of his best paintings in the 1920s and 1930s. However, many art experts have focused on his works from the early 1900s. Two famous examples from 1906 are Roses and Arum Lilies, which is in the Auckland Art Gallery, and The Model at Rest, found in the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.

He painted many different things, including:

• Genre scenes: Pictures of everyday life.
• Portraits: Paintings of people.
• Landscapes: Scenes of nature, especially seascapes (pictures of the sea).
• Still life: Paintings of objects like fruit or flowers.

You can find O'Keeffe's artwork in many art galleries and collections across New Zealand. These include the Auckland Art Gallery, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington, the Sarjeant Gallery in Wanganui, and the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.

In 2012, the Dunedin Public Art Gallery held a special exhibition called A. H. O'Keeffe: Light in the Shadows. It was the first time his works had been shown alone since 1957.

Images for kids

• The Defence Minister's Telegram (1921).jpg

  The Defence Minister's Telegram (1921)

• The Model at Rest (1906).jpg

  The Model at Rest (1906)

See Also

• Auckland Art Gallery
• Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
• Christchurch Art Gallery
• Fletcher Collection
• New Zealand War Art
• Dunedin Public Art Gallery The Defence Minister's Telegram (1921)
• Dunedin Public Art Gallery The Model at Rest (1906)
• Portrait (1887), Alys Antiques