A previously unknown or long-hidden early Georgia O’Keeffe painting is being set for sale after being discovered in a closet in Manhattan’s East Village. The work, “Near Abiquiu, New Mexico I” (1930), was found in 2022 and is now scheduled for Christie’s evening sale in New York on November 17.
All three outlets describe the painting as having been stored for decades, with the New York Post adding that it was hidden under a row of fur coats. Artforum and Hyperallergic both report an estimated selling price of around $3 million, with Artforum framing the work as potentially the first in a series and both coverage summaries emphasizing that it has not been seen by the public. Overall, the coverage focuses on the discovery story, the rarity implied by its long absence from view, and the upcoming auction estimate and timing.
While outlets largely agree on what the painting is, where it was found, and the auction context, they vary in the vividness of the storage details and in how much they speculate about the painting’s relationship to a series.
