A Georgia O’Keeffe painting from 1930 titled “Near Abiquiu, New Mexico I,” kept in a New York closet for decades, is headed to auction at Christie’s later this month.
The painting, which Christie’s estimates to be worth “in the region of $3 million,” was given to its previous owner as a graduation gift in the 1960s, having been purchased in 1963 from O’Keeffe’s dealer in New York City for $3,800, equivalent to nearly $42,000 today, Christie’s said in a release.
The painting’s existence was known only due to a photograph of the work taken in 1931, and it has never been displayed to the public, Christie’s said.
People were interested in these podcasts
It hung in the previous owner’s apartment until the mid-1980s, after which she returned it to the closet.
The woman’s niece, who provided only her middle name Betsy, told the New York Post that in 2022, as she helped her aunt prepare for a home health aide, her aunt said, “Oh, by the way, there’s a Georgia O’Keeffe in the hall closet.”
Betsy told the Post that as she helped her aunt get her affairs in order this year, “I wondered, ‘Is there any way I can keep this?’ But once we started exploring what the value of the piece was, I realized that it’s worth more than my house.”
The work will be on display at the Christie’s auction house in Manhattan from Saturday through Nov. 17, when it will be sold at auction, Christie’s said.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.