Georgia O’Keeffe’s 1930 landscape Near Abiquiu, New Mexico I is heading to Christie’s after decades out of public view. A family member says she found it in her aunt’s New York apartment closet. The auction estimate is 2–3 million dollars; part of the proceeds is intended for an educational institution.
Georgia O’Keeffe’s Near Abiquiu, New Mexico I, a landscape painted in 1930, is heading to Christie’s 20th Century Evening Sale on 17 November. The work resurfaced after decades in a closet in a New York apartment. The auction estimate is 2–3 million dollars.[1], [2]
A family member discovered the painting while helping clear her aunt’s home in the East Village neighbourhood.[1]
The niece, identified by the New York Post only by her middle name, Betsy, says the painting was behind fur coats at the back of a closet. Her aunt had received it from her mother as a graduation present in 1963. The family says it was purchased at The Downtown Gallery for 3,800 dollars. It remained on display in the apartment until the 1980s, when the owner stored it after a visitor showed interest.[1]
Christie’s describes the work as possibly the first of three paintings of Lobo Peak in New Mexico. The family intends to direct part of the proceeds to an unnamed educational institution. Betsy says she considered keeping the painting before learning its value exceeded that of her house. The family has also mentioned paying off a mortgage as a possible use for its share of the proceeds.[1]
