A Georgia O'Keeffe painting of a simple white flower has sold for USD 44.4 million, more than triple the previous auction record for a work by a female artist.
Sotheby's New York says the 1932 painting, "Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1," sold today during the auction house's sale of American art.
The painting was sold by the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in New Mexico to benefit its acquisitions fund. The buyer bid by telephone.
Sotheby's isn't disclosing the buyer's identity. The previous world auction record for any work by a female artist was USD 11.9 million. That was the price for Joan Mitchell's "Untitled" at Christie's New York in May.
The previous auction record for an O'Keeffe work was USD 6.2 million, set at Christie's New York in 2001.
