Georgia O'Keeffe moved permanently to New Mexico in 1949 after spending part of many years there.
She first visited New Mexico in 1929 and returned regularly, especially during summers. The region supplied subjects that became central to her work, including desert landscapes, adobe buildings, bones, churches, and distant mountains.
After Alfred Stieglitz died in 1946, O'Keeffe spent increasing amounts of time in New Mexico. In 1949 she made the move permanent, settling primarily in Abiquiú and later also maintaining a home in Ghost Ranch. The change shaped both her daily life and the public image of her art.
The year 1949 is sometimes confused with 1929, the year of her first visit, or with 1946, the year Stieglitz died. Those dates mark important stages, but the permanent move occurred in 1949.