**Early Life and Education (1887–1916)**
Georgia Totto O'Keeffe, a pivotal figure in American modernism, was born on November 15, 1887, in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Her parents, Francis Calyxtus O'Keeffe and Ida (Totto) O'Keeffe, were dairy farmers of Irish and Hungarian descent, respectively.
By age 10, O'Keeffe had decided to become an artist. She received art instruction from local watercolorist Sara Mann and later attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1905 to 1906, studying under John Vanderpoel. Her unique style began to develop during her studies at the University of Virginia.
**Artistic Career (1917–1986)**
In 1917,
Alfred Stieglitz, an art dealer and photographer, held an exhibit of O'Keeffe's works. This marked the beginning of her professional career. She moved to New York in 1918 at Stieglitz's request and began working seriously as an artist. Their professional relationship blossomed into a personal one, leading to their marriage on December 11, 1924.
O'Keeffe's abstract art, including close-ups of flowers like
Red Canna, was often interpreted as representing vulvas, though she consistently denied this intention. Her work was also influenced by her time in the Southwest, which inspired paintings like
Cow's Skull: Red, White, and Blue (1931) and
Summer Days (1936).
**Legacy and Museum**
After Stieglitz's death in 1946, O'Keeffe lived in New Mexico for the next 40 years. In 2014, her 1932 painting
Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 sold for $44,405,000, setting a record for the largest price paid for any painting by a female artist.
Following her death on March 6, 1986, the
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum was established in Santa Fe. Her works are also featured in several museums, including those listed at [https://WahooArt.com/@/Georgia Totto O'keeffe](https://WahooArt.com/@/Georgia Totto O'keeffe).
**Key Works:**
* Red Canna
* Cow's Skull: Red, White, and Blue (1931)
* Summer Days (1936)
* Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1
**Museums featuring O'Keeffe's work:**
*
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
* [https://WahooArt.com/@/Georgia Totto O'keeffe](https://WahooArt.com/@/Georgia Totto O'keeffe)