O'Keefe and Stieglitz: An Amerian Roman

In Eisler's reckoning, the union of Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986), young, ambitious Texas schoolteacher, and famous New York photographer/art impresario Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946) was a collusion, a system of deals and trade-offs, love and friendship, with each partner fueling the other's creativity. O'Keeffe, on whom Stieglitz projected oceanic feelings, was relegated to the role of geriatric nurse when husband Stieglitz tomcatted around with his new muse, Dorothy Norman, more than 40 years his junior. O'Keeffe, meanwhile, pursued a lesbian relationship with painter Rebecca Strand. Her husband, photographer Paul Strand, was a protege of autocratic Stieglitz and would later rebel against this surrogate father. Packed with personal revelations, thick with sexual affairs, this intimate, enthralling dual portrait demythologizes the iconic couple of the American art world, exposing the troubled realities beneath the public personae each skillfully wore. Eisler's books include Class Act: America's Last Dirty Secret. Photos. (May)