What was the title of Georgia O'Keeffe's 1935 painting of a ram's skull above New Mexico hills?

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Georgia O'Keeffe's 1935 painting of a ram's skull above New Mexico hills is titled Ram's Head, White Hollyhock-Hills. The composition places the bone against a pale Southwestern landscape and a large white hollyhock.

O'Keeffe collected animal bones during her New Mexico travels and used them repeatedly in paintings. She found that bones had a durable, sculptural quality and could serve as strong compositional forms against sky, mountains, or desert space.

The work is associated with Ghost Ranch, the area north of Abiquiú that became one of O'Keeffe's most important subjects. Its title links three visual elements: the ram's head, the white hollyhock, and the hills in the distance.

It is easy to confuse this painting with Cow's Skull: Red, White, and Blue, another famous bone painting. The animal, flower, color scheme, and title distinguish the two works.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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