Rare Georgia O'Keeffe painting found in closet of NYC apartment, to be auctioned for at least $3 million – CBS News

Rare Georgia O’Keeffe painting found in closet of NYC apartment, to be auctioned for at least $3 million  CBS News

"Holy cow."That was the first thought a woman, only identified as Betsy, had when she found out that her aunt was the owner of a rare Georgia O'Keeffe painting.The 1930 painting, titled "Near Abiquiu, New Mexico I", depicts an undulating landscape of New Mexico. It hasn't been seen publicly for decades.Betsy, who spoke to CBS News New York on the condition of remaining anonymous, says the rare piece of American history had been sitting in a closet in her aunt's East Village apartment since the 1980s.Originally purchased in 1963, Betsy says her aunt owned many valuable pieces of art throughout the 1970s, never married, had no children, and lived a successful, cosmopolitan life as a career woman.The painting was only recently revealed to the family at the end of her aunt's life when arranging her affairs.

Betsy says the aunt had once displayed the painting in her apartment then put it away after noticing untoward interest in the piece from a party guest.A lot of work goes into verifying a discovery like this is real."We certainly use just a visual analysis of looking at the painting, looking at the styles, how the brush strokes may match, how other O'Keeffe's appear that we've known that we've sold," said Tylee Abbott, the head of American Art at Christie's New York. "But also,