Long-Lost Georgia O’Keeffe Painting Valued Around $3M Discovered in Apartment Closet by Woman’s Niece
Long-Lost Georgia O’Keeffe Painting Valued Around $3M Discovered in Apartment Closet by Woman’s Niece
Sam GilletteThu, November 5, 2026 at 4:23 PM UTC
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“Near Abiquiu, New Mexico I” by Georgia O’Keeffe; the artist in New York City in 1944.Credit: Christie's; Michael Ochs Archives/Getty -
A long-lost painting by Georgia O’Keeffe, which is valued at approximately $3 million, was discovered in a closet in a New York City apartment earlier this year
The “once-in-a-lifetime” find will go on sale as part of Christie’s 20th Century Evening Sale in New York on Nov. 17
“This is a wonderful painting, a remarkable story, and an extraordinary opportunity for collectors and the general public alike,” said Tylee Abbott, senior specialist and head of American Art at Christie’s
After at least three decades, a long-lost Georgia O’Keeffe painting will be viewed by the public after a woman discovered it in the closet of her aunt’s New York City apartment.
“This is a wonderful painting, a remarkable story, and an extraordinary opportunity for collectors and the general public alike,” said Tylee Abbott, senior specialist and head of American Art at Christie’s, in a statement shared with PEOPLE ahead of the sale of “Near Abiquiu, New Mexico I” on Tuesday, Nov. 17, as part of Christie’s 20th Century Evening Sale in New York.
“Rediscoveries are rare in the well-established market for academically researched and highly revered historic American artists,” he continued. “To uncover a seminal work, representative of this 20th Century master’s deep personal engagement with the landscape, a pillar of her career, which is exquisitely rendered and well preserved, is a once-in-a-lifetime moment, and absolutely thrilling.”
O’Keeffe was born in rural Wisconsin on Nov. 15, 1887, and went on to become one of the most revered modern artists of the 20th century, according to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Some of her most influential works stemmed from her travels to northern New Mexico, a state that she eventually made her home, until she died in Santa Fe on March 6, 1986, at the age of 98.
Painted in 1930, “Near Abiquiu, New Mexico I” is one of O’Keeffe’s earlier works of significant importance, according to Christie’s. Most likely, it’s the first iteration of a three-part series depicting New Mexico’s Lobo Peak and is valued in the region of $3 million.
“Near Abiquiu, New Mexico I” by Georgia O’Keeffe.Credit: Christie's
“The painting is a distinctly modern vision of O’Keeffe’s favorite place, which she continued to reimagine throughout her life,” according to Christie’s. “A precursor to her masterful late career landscapes and abstractions, the present work reflects an artist entranced, at her best and most inspired, serially revisiting the peaks around her in reverence and awe.”
The only existence of the painting was a photograph of the work taken in 1931, according to the auction house. In 1963, the 10-inch x 24-inch work was gifted to the owner, whose family has requested she remain anonymous, to celebrate her earning a master’s degree.
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The owner’s mother bought the painting for $3,800 in April 1963, at The Downtown Gallery, O’Keeffe’s dealer in Manhattan.
The painting was stored in its original box for decades.Credit: Christie's
The painting’s owner also lived a remarkable life. She graduated from several distinguished institutions and traveled widely as part of the Foreign Service. The woman proudly displayed the painting in her apartment in the East Village until the mid-1980s, when she saw a guest “eyeing it a bit too closely,” in the midst of a game of bridge, the family told the auction house.
At that point, the owner stored the O’Keeffe painting back in its original box and tucked it safely in the back of her closet. Her family was unaware of the painting’s existence until the woman told her niece about it earlier this year.
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“Oh, by the way, there’s a Georgia O’Keeffe in the closet,” she casually told the younger woman, according to Christie’s. The woman, who was described as “sophisticated” and “ultra intelligent” by her loved ones, died shortly thereafter, prompting the niece to email the auction house.
The rare find will be a highlight in Christie’s New York Marquee Week, which includes a range of must-see collections, including those of the late music executive Clive Davis.
The Marquee Week collections can be viewed for free in a public exhibition at Christie’s New York at 20 Rockefeller Center from Saturday, Nov. 7, until Tuesday, Nov. 17.
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