At which museum did Georgia O’Keeffe become the first woman artist given a retrospective in 1946?

The Museum of Modern Art in New York gave Georgia O’Keeffe a major retrospective in 1946, making her the first woman artist to receive a retrospective there. The exhibition recognized her importance in American modernism.

MoMA had opened in 1929 and quickly became a leading institution for modern art. Its O’Keeffe retrospective placed her work within a museum framework rather than presenting it only through commercial galleries.

The exhibition took place shortly after the death of O’Keeffe’s husband, Alfred Stieglitz. It also marked a significant stage in her transition toward a more independent public and professional identity.

The distinction applies to MoMA’s retrospective history. O’Keeffe had exhibited elsewhere before 1946, but this landmark New York museum exhibition is the event associated with the first-woman-retrospective milestone.