Georgia O'Keeffe’s Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 sold for a record $44.4 million in 2014. The painting was auctioned at Sotheby’s in New York and became the most expensive artwork by a female artist at that time.
The 1932 work shows a large white jimson weed flower against a dark field. Its scale and close-up composition exemplify O'Keeffe’s practice of making ordinary natural forms visually commanding.
The sale was significant not only because of the amount but also because it challenged the visibility of women artists in the highest-priced areas of the art market. The record later changed hands in the broader history of auction results, but the 2014 sale remains a precisely documented milestone.
The painting is sometimes shortened to Jimson Weed, but its auction record refers to the complete title Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1. The flower itself is also called Datura, though that botanical label is not the painting’s title.