Which 1926 Georgia O’Keeffe painting is part of her famous iris series?

Black Iris is a 1926 Georgia O’Keeffe painting from her famous iris series.

The painting presents an enlarged, dark iris in close view. O’Keeffe’s flower paintings often magnify natural forms dramatically, turning petals, folds, and centers into nearly abstract arrangements of color and shape.

Black Iris is frequently discussed in relation to interpretations of sexuality and symbolism. O’Keeffe rejected the idea that viewers should treat every flower painting as a coded image of female anatomy, and she emphasized the practical reason for enlargement: people would not otherwise take time to look closely at flowers.

The title is sometimes confused with other works in the series, including Black Iris III. O’Keeffe produced multiple iris paintings rather than one single definitive “black iris.” The 1926 Black Iris is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, while other O’Keeffe flower works are held in museums across the United States.