Georgia O'Keeffe received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor of the United States. President Gerald Ford presented the medal to O'Keeffe in recognition of her major contribution to American art and culture. The award placed her among a small group of artists, public figures, and civic leaders honored for exceptional national significance.
By 1977, O'Keeffe had already developed a career spanning more than six decades. Her work had helped establish a distinctive form of American modernism, and her paintings of flowers, skyscrapers, bones, and New Mexico landscapes had become widely recognized.
The award year is sometimes confused with other late honors. O'Keeffe received the National Medal of Arts in 1985, eight years after the Presidential Medal of Freedom. These are separate United States honors and should not be treated as the same medal.