The Abstraction of Georgia O'Keeffe

Georgia O’Keeffe, "Red, Yellow and Black Streak", 1924. Oil on canvas, (100 × 80.6 cm), 39 3/8 × 31 3/4 inches. Musée National d’Art Moderne, Center Georges Pompidou, Paris.

American painter, best known for her large-format paintings of natural forms, especially flowers and bones, and for her depictions of New York City skyscrapers and architectural and landscape forms unique to northern New Mexico. She remains one of the most important artists in the history of art, in that her works convey the integrity of her Modernist vision, her independent spirit, and, above all, her profound sensitivity to the vitality of natural forces. O’Keeffe also played a key role in challenging the notion that gender was in any way a determinant of artistic competence or creativity. By so doing, she helped to establish a new and significant space for female artists in a realm that continues to be dominated by men.