
Georgia and Anita
The Lifelong Friendship of Georgia O'Keeffe and Anita Pollitzer
by Liza Bennett
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Pub Date May 01 2025 | Archive Date Apr 30 2025
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Description
In Georgia and Anita Liza Bennett tells the little-known story of their enduring friendship and its ultimately tragic arc. It was Pollitzer who first showed O’Keeffe’s work to family friend and mentor Alfred Stieglitz, the world-famous photographer whose 291 Gallery in New York City was the epicenter of the modern art world. While O’Keeffe, Stieglitz, and their circle of friends were at the forefront of American modernism, Pollitzer became a leader of the National Woman’s Party and was instrumental in the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote. Based on extensive research, including their fifty-year correspondence, Georgia and Anita casts light on the friendship of these two women who, in different ways, helped to modernize the world and women’s roles in it.
For more information about Georgia and Anita, visit georgiaandanita.com.
Advance Praise
“Liza Bennett’s luminous and absorbing exploration of the friendship between a painter of genius and a women’s rights activist during the morning years of the twentieth century rings absolutely true to its era while beautifully evoking the power and urgency of a new kind of American art being born.”—Richard Snow, author of Disney’s Land: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World
“A masterpiece, an exquisitely told story of love, art, feminism, family, and the making of the modern age, propelled by the deep and turbulent current of a decades-long friendship between two extraordinary women.”—Frederick E. Allen, former editor at American Heritage and New York magazines
“An important contribution to the literature on women’s friendship. While much has been written about Georgia O’Keeffe, woman artist, little is known of her lifelong bond with a central figure in the fight for the ballot, Anita Pollitzer. This is their riveting story.”—Ellen Feldman, author of Lucy and Terrible Virtue
“Beautifully written, by turns funny, inspiring, and poignant, this is the true story of two American women—one famous, one little known today—who changed the world. A narrative of friendship, devotion, and, ultimately, betrayal.”—Kevin Baker, author of Dreamland
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9781496242792 |
PRICE | $24.95 (USD) |
PAGES | 214 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews

Before reading this book, I only knew Georgia O’Keeffe for her flower paintings and her connection to New Mexico. I knew nothing about Anita Pollitzer. This book starts with Georgia at 28 years old around 1915. A brief background covers her identity, family's challenges, and meeting Anita Pollitzer, a young art student from a well-connected family. Anita and Georgia first meet while attending a semester at the Art Students League, we follow their decades long friendship. Their correspondence shows their journeys through two World Wars, Anita’s role in the suffragette movement, Georgia’s evolving art and long-term relationship with the older and (initially) married photographer and gallery owner, Alfred Stieglitz. Eventually, we get to the New Mexico-based, flower painting Georgia. Though the road there is not one I expected.
I was very intrigued by the subject matter for this book. I love reading stories about people’s lives and learning parts of history with which I previously was unfamiliar. While I got that in this book, I found the writing style choppy and at times difficult to follow. The perspective shifts between Georgia and Anita mid-chapter, with few visual cues indicating the change. There were parts that jumped geographically but did not explain how that change came to be. The author made assumptions about the readers familiarity with certain landmarks and locations. An example is the location of the Art Students League. In the first part of the book when Georgia and Anita are attending the semester there, I had to assume it was in New York City. Even after review, I do not see an explicit reference to what city or State this takes place in.
Although I would have appreciated more seamless transitions between Georgia and Anita's sections and additional details to assist the reader, I found the book enjoyable. I learned about Anita Pollitzer’s significant contributions to the rights women have in the United States and Georgia’s complicated romantic relationship. I was previously unaware of. I appreciated the author taking the time to respectfully show the complex nature of a long-term friendship.
Thank you to the University of Nebraska Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
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