Where Is Black Iris? See It at de Young Museum

Georgia O'Keeffe magnified a dark iris bloom until it fills the entire canvas, transforming a simple flower into an abstract exploration of form and color. The velvety purple-black petals unfold in layers.

O'Keeffe's monumental flower paintings became her signature subject. She insisted they were simply flowers, pushing back against Freudian interpretations that dominated critical discussion of her work.

The de Young Museum holds this work as part of its thorough American art collection, one of the top ten in the nation.

It's at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, part of a thorough American art collection ranked among the top ten in the country.

O'Keeffe insisted they were simply flowers and pushed back against the Freudian interpretations that dominated critical discussion of her work. She said she painted them large so people would actually look at them closely.

O'Keeffe painted it in 1926, during the period when her monumental flower paintings became her signature subject. The magnified iris fills the entire canvas, turning a simple bloom into an abstract exploration of form.

Black Iris

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