What was the title of Georgia O'Keeffe's 1932 painting that became one of the world's most expensive artworks sold at auction?

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Georgia O'Keeffe's 1932 painting Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 became one of the world's most expensive artworks sold at auction. The large-scale flower painting depicts a white jimson weed blossom against a pale background.

The work sold at Sotheby's in New York in 2014 for $44.405 million, including buyer's premium. The purchase established a record for a work by a female artist at auction at that time. It was bought by the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, founded by Alice Walton.

O'Keeffe repeatedly enlarged flowers so viewers had to confront their forms and details. Although these paintings are often discussed in symbolic or erotic terms, O'Keeffe rejected the idea that viewers should treat her flowers as coded explanations of sexuality. The title also distinguishes this painting from her many other flower studies.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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