What is the name of Georgia O'Keeffe's 1931 painting of a white cow skull?

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Georgia O'Keeffe's 1931 painting of a white cow skull is titled Cow's Skull: Red, White, and Blue.

The painting places a bleached cow skull against a vertically divided background of red, white, and blue. It is one of O'Keeffe's best-known images from her early engagement with the New Mexico landscape.

O'Keeffe collected animal bones and other objects from the desert, then used them as subjects in carefully composed paintings. She did not intend the skull simply as a symbol of death; its form, surface, and relationship to the surrounding space were central to her work.

The title's patriotic colors distinguish this painting from related skull paintings, including Ram's Head, White Hollyhock-Hills and Pelvis Series Red with Yellow.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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