Black Iris is the 1926 Georgia O'Keeffe painting famous for its enlarged, dark iris blossoms.
The work magnifies an iris until the flower’s folds and central opening dominate the composition. O'Keeffe used close-up views of flowers to make viewers look carefully at forms they might otherwise overlook. Her paintings often turn a small natural subject into a monumental image.
Black Iris belongs to a period when O'Keeffe was producing some of her most recognizable flower paintings. Although the flower appears nearly black, the image contains deep purples and other subtle tones rather than a flat, featureless black. The title refers to the iris subject and its dark visual treatment.
The painting has sometimes been interpreted symbolically or sexually, but O'Keeffe repeatedly rejected the idea that her flower paintings should be explained solely through such readings. She emphasized looking at the flowers closely. Black Iris is also distinct from her later series of works titled Dark Iris.