Georgia O'Keeffe's first major abstract painting series was called Series I.
O'Keeffe developed her Series I paintings during the 1910s, when she was pushing beyond conventional representation. The works used simplified forms, strong contours, and controlled color rather than depicting a recognizable scene in a traditional way. They helped establish her as an important early American modernist.
Her abstract work was brought to Alfred Stieglitz's attention through drawings sent by Anita Pollitzer. Stieglitz exhibited them at his New York gallery in 1916, giving O'Keeffe an early professional breakthrough. She later returned to recognizable subjects, including flowers, buildings, bones, and landscapes, while retaining an interest in abstraction.
“Series I” should not be confused with her later numbered series or with generic descriptions such as “abstract paintings.” The series title identifies a specific body of work. O'Keeffe's abstractions also complicate the idea that she became famous only for enlarged flowers: abstraction was central to her artistic development from the beginning.