What was Georgia O'Keeffe's first college art school?

Georgia O'Keeffe's first college art school was the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

She attended the school in 1905 and 1906, receiving academic art training before continuing at the Art Students League in New York. Her Chicago studies emphasized the structured instruction typical of early twentieth-century art education, including drawing and painting from observed subjects.

O'Keeffe later became known for a personal style that moved beyond academic realism. Her career included abstraction, close-up flowers, New York architecture, and New Mexico landscapes. The contrast between her formal training and later independence is an important part of her artistic story.

The school is often shortened to SAIC and remains a major art institution. O'Keeffe's later studies at the Art Students League were not her first college art-school experience, which is why the two institutions can be confused in short biographies.