$3M Georgia O’Keeffe painting buried in NYC apartment closet hits auction block

Key Points:

• A Rhode Island woman discovered a long-lost Georgia O’Keeffe painting, "Near Abiquiu, New Mexico," valued at around $3 million, hidden in her elderly aunt’s East Village apartment closet for nearly 40 years.
• The painting was originally purchased in 1963 for $3,800 as a graduation gift and was stored away after the aunt felt uncomfortable with a guest's interest in it, remaining unseen by the public until now.
• The artwork, featuring O’Keeffe’s signature abstract style depicting New Mexico’s landscape, will be auctioned by Christie’s on November 17, with a public exhibition held from November 7-17 at 20 Rockefeller Center.
• Proceeds from the sale will be partly donated to an educational institution, with the remainder benefiting the family, including paying off the mortgage; the aunt, a highly accomplished former Foreign Service worker, passed away shortly after the discovery.
• Christie’s highlighted the rarity and significance of this rediscovery, calling it a "once-in-a-lifetime moment" for collectors and the public, given O’Keeffe’s status as a seminal 20th-century American artist.