Alfred Stieglitz first exhibited Georgia O'Keeffe's drawings at his New York gallery known as 291 in 1916.
The gallery took its name from its address at 291 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Founded by Stieglitz, it became a crucial venue for European modernism and innovative American art. Before showing O'Keeffe, it had presented work by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Constantin Brâncuși.
Stieglitz received O'Keeffe's charcoal abstractions from the artist Anita Pollitzer and displayed them without O'Keeffe's prior knowledge. When O'Keeffe learned about the exhibition, she objected, but the event began a professional relationship that shaped both artists' public careers.
The gallery closed in 1917 because of financial difficulties. Stieglitz later operated other galleries, including the Intimate Gallery and An American Place, but 291 remains the name most closely tied to O'Keeffe's first New York exhibition.