What national honor did Georgia O'Keeffe receive from President Gerald Ford in 1977?

Georgia O'Keeffe received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.

President Gerald Ford awarded O'Keeffe the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977. The medal is the highest civilian honor in the United States and recognizes especially meritorious contributions to national interests, culture, or other significant public achievements.

By that time, O'Keeffe had spent more than six decades developing an unmistakable visual language. Her paintings of flowers, New York skyscrapers, Southwest landscapes, animal bones, and architectural forms had made her one of the best-known American artists.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is not the same as the National Medal of Arts, which was created later, in 1984. O'Keeffe received many other distinctions during her lifetime, but the 1977 presidential award is the specific honor associated with President Ford.