Georgia O'Keeffe's first abstract charcoal series was called Specials. She made these drawings in 1915 while teaching in South Carolina, and they marked a decisive break from the conventional academic art she had previously produced.
The works reduced forms and ideas to energetic lines, curves, and tonal contrasts. O'Keeffe sent some of the drawings to her friend Anita Pollitzer, who showed them to Alfred Stieglitz. Stieglitz exhibited them at his New York gallery in 291 in 1916.
Their presentation caused an important change in O'Keeffe's career. She had not initially sought broad public attention, but the drawings introduced her to the avant-garde art world and established her as a distinctive modernist voice.
The series is sometimes loosely described as her first abstract art, but “Specials” is the specific title used for the 1915 group. It should not be confused with her later flower, cloud, or New Mexico series.