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Georgia O’Keeffe painting found under fur coats in New York closet after 40 years, heads to auction
A painting by Georgia O’Keeffe that remained out of sight for nearly four decades has resurfaced in New York.
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A painting by American artist Georgia O’Keeffe, hidden in a New York apartment closet for nearly 40 years, is set to go under the hammer. Titled Near Abiquiu, New Mexico I (1930), it was discovered beneath a row of fur coats by the niece of its owner. The artwork is expected to fetch $2 million to $3 million at Christie’s auction in New York on November 17.
How was the Georgia O’Keeffe painting discovered?
According to Artnet News, the painting belonged to an elderly woman living in New York’s East Village. Her niece, identified only as Betsy, came across it while helping her aunt prepare for hospice care.
The discovery was not entirely unexpected. In 2022, the aunt had casually mentioned to her home health aides that there was a Georgia O’Keeffe painting in her hallway closet. The artwork had been given to her as a graduation present in the 1960s by her mother, who bought it from the Downtown Gallery in New York for $3,800 in 1963.
The painting was later packed away in the 1980s after the owner became concerned that a visitor was taking too much interest in it. It remained out of sight for decades.
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Why is the rediscovered painting significant?
The 1930 painting depicts Lobo Peak in New Mexico, a landscape that O’Keeffe returned to in several of her works. According to Christie’s, it is believed to be the first of three paintings she made featuring the mountain.
The second version, also painted in 1930, is part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The third, completed in 1931, was sold by Christie’s in 2018 as part of the Peggy and David Rockefeller collection. It fetched $8.41 million, well above its estimated price of $3 million to $5 million.
The newly discovered painting was previously known mainly through a photograph taken in 1931. Its rediscovery is particularly notable because O’Keeffe’s work has been extensively documented, and the painting had remained out of public view for several decades.
When will the painting go under the hammer?
Christie’s will offer the artwork as part of its 20th Century Evening Sale in New York on November 17. It will also be displayed at the auction house from November 7 until the sale.
O’Keeffe remains one of the most sought-after women artists at auction. Her current auction record stands at $44.4 million, set in 2014 when Sotheby’s sold her 1932 painting Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1.
According to The New York Post, part of the proceeds from the newly rediscovered work will go towards an educational institution and family expenses.
