What official U.S. honor did Georgia O'Keeffe receive in 1977?

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 it to O'Keeffe in 1977, recognizing her major contribution to American art and culture.

O'Keeffe was already internationally renowned by then. Her career had included abstraction, enlarged flowers, New York architecture, Southwestern landscapes, animal bones, and works inspired by Hawaii. Her recognition also reflected the growing prominence of women artists in American cultural history.

The award is sometimes confused with the National Medal of Arts, another important U.S. honor established later. O'Keeffe received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977; that specific award should not be substituted with a general description such as a national arts medal.