Georgia O'Keeffe's first major New York gallery exhibition in 1916 was held at 291.
The gallery known as 291 was founded and operated by Alfred Stieglitz at 291 Fifth Avenue in New York City. In 1916, Stieglitz exhibited a selection of O'Keeffe's charcoal drawings there without her prior permission. The show introduced her work to the New York art world.
The drawings were radical for their time because they used abstract lines and shapes rather than recognizable subjects. Stieglitz recognized their originality and continued to promote O'Keeffe through his galleries and publications.
291 was also the name of the gallery's street address, and it became one of the most important early venues for European avant-garde art in the United States. O'Keeffe later exhibited at Stieglitz's other galleries, including the Intimate Gallery and An American Place, but 291 marks her first major New York presentation.