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• 1 2021-01-22T07:49:38+00:00 Yellow Hickory Leaves with Daisy 8 plain 2021-03-04T20:26:26+00:00 I pride myself on the fact that I could spot a Georgia O’Keeffe work a mile away. Given, her work is pretty distinct. Like this flower below, most of her famous work is of giant flowers and skulls. I love that her pieces are so colorful and bold. They brighten up a room. They are pleasing to look at. This painting below is my favorite of hers. It is on display at the Art Institute here in Chicago. 
  
  This was the first “real” art I ever bought. No, I couldn’t afford the original, but I could get it on a poster at the gift shop! I remember choosing it among all the great paintings. I loved art, but I realized I didn’t have any. I hung it above my bed as soon as I got home. I was so happy to show it off during zoom classes. It made me happy and I always thank O’Keeffe for that feeling of owning art. 
  
  Highest Valued Painting “by a Female Artist” 
  I was surprised to read O’Keeffe held the record for most expensive work sold by a female artist at an auction. Obviously, I love her work and respect her, but I didn’t think she’d have this record. My main reasoning was that her work is not that old. Her work is fantastic, it earned the value it has like any other, but I always thought a former female’s work has surely been toured more and along with significant historical value. There've been so many famous and recognizable paintings, sculptures, and photographs of women yet none of them are by women? Now, I’m starting to think about when and what women had access to art. This question heavily ties into my thoughts on Elizabeth Catlett’s Sharecropper. For so long, men and high society have admired art about females, but when did we, as a whole, start to celebrate women who create? Within that question itself, there are so many variables and relationships to dissect. Regardless of not knowing all the events that led to O’Keeffe’s success, I can appreciate the landmark event of her success. 
  
  In 2014, O'Keeffe's painting titled Jimson Weed/White Flower No 1 sold for $44.4 million. It easily broke the previous record by over $30 million, which was set earlier that year. This feat may sound unfathomable but it brings to light a greater problem. That auction record alone is $142.4 million. It was a 1969 painting by Francis Bacon. He is an Irish-born English painter who is alive at the age of 82. However, the gap in value between female and male artists has always existed. The 20 most expensive paintings in the world are all by male artists. The least expensive painting on the list is a Basquiat piece for $110.5 million. Bacon’s piece is number 14 on the list. The most expensive piece is a da Vinci at an unbelievable value of $450.3 million. The mind-boggling fact is that 11 of the most expensive paintings explicitly feature a woman (or women) as their main subject. O’Keeffe is one of the most recognizable names in art. She is not just a recognizable female in art. It is clear that woman (or "female") artists are undervalued. Perhaps their art is valued for different things because of their gender. There are a hundred theses, articles, and dissertations on this, but it’s sad that there has to be.
  
  
  
  ¹ “Georgia O'Keeffe Painting Sets Auction Record for Female Artist.” Edited by Will Gompertz, BBC News, BBC, 21 Nov. 2014, www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30142581.
  ² “Francis Bacon (Artist).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Bacon_(artist).
  ³ McIntyre, Matt. “The 20 Most Expensive Paintings In the World.” Wealthy Gorilla, 27 July 2020, wealthygorilla.com/most-expensive-paintings/.