“MY FIRST MEMORY IS OF THE BRIGHTNESS OF LIGHT—LIGHT ALL AROUND”: FIRST EDITION OF GEORGIA O’KEEFFE, PRESENTATION-ASSOCIATION COPY INSCRIBED BY O’KEEFFE TO PHOTOGRAPHER ALAN ROSS, FORMER ASSISTANT TO ANSEL ADAMS

O'KEEFFE, Georgia. Georgia O'Keeffe. New York: Viking, (1976). Large folio, original beige cloth, original illustrated dust jacket. $8500.

First trade edition of this superbly illustrated large folio collection of paintings by O’Keeffe, presentation-association copy boldly inscribed by her in the year of publication on the fly title to photographer Alan Ross, former assistant to Ansel Adams: "For Alan, Georgia O'Keeffe, 1976."

The 108 vivid full-color plates reproduced in this beautiful production were all selected by O'Keeffe for inclusion in this collection. Her accompanying text constitutes a poetic, thoughtful autobiography about her early fascination with color and line, the influences on her work, and her growth as an artist. Preceded by a signed limited edition of 175 copies. See Freitag 9193. With 2012 letter of provenance from Alan Ross on his stationery laid in, along with a 6 by 9-inch print of the iconic photograph of O'Keeffe in her rugged Southwest landscape by O'Keeffe's associate Juan Hamilton, used on the rear panel of the dust jacket. Ross notes in his letter of provenance: "While I was Assistant to Ansel Adams in the mid-late 1970s, O'Keeffe and her associate, Juan Hamilton, came to stay at the Adams' home for a week in early 1976. Juan and I became pretty good friends during that visit, and when the book came out, he had O'Keeffe inscribe a copy for me." Presumably Hamilton made this print for Ross and enclosed it along with this signed volume.

Book fine, dust jacket near-fine. An excellent signed presentation-association copy.