What 1932 painting by Georgia O'Keeffe became the most expensive work by a female artist sold at auction in 2014?
Answer
Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1
Georgia O'Keeffe’s 1932 painting Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 became the most expensive work by a female artist sold at auction in 2014.
The large painting depicts a close view of white jimson weed flowers against a dark background. O'Keeffe often enlarged flowers so viewers would notice their forms and structures rather than treating them as small decorative objects. The work was painted in 1932 and remained one of her best-known floral paintings.
At Sotheby’s in New York on November 20, 2014, the painting sold for $44.4 million, including buyer’s premium. The record was widely reported as a milestone for women artists at auction.
The title is sometimes shortened to Jimson Weed, but the complete title includes White Flower No. 1. It is now associated with the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.