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Georgia O'Keeffe Museum: Access O'Keeffe
Georgia O'Keeffe
Dark Iris No. III, 1927
Courtesy of Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. Photo: Tim Nighswander/IMAGING4ART
Image: okeeffe_CR602_dark-iris-no-iii_786567.jpg
Georgia O'Keeffe
Dark Iris No. III, 1927
Pastel on paper, 20 1/4 x 9 inches
CR No. 602
Gift of The Burnett Foundation and The Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation
1997.4.7
Pastel on paper, 20 1/4 x 9 inches
Gift of The Burnett Foundation and The Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation
1997.4.7
CR No. 602

Vertical extreme close-up pastel of the delicate inner folds of an iris flower. Palette of subtle grey-purples. Mostly abstract rendition of iris petals closing in on one another, with the darkest area in the lower right corner.

CR No. 602

Title (1999 Catalogue Raisonné)

Dark Iris No. III

Source of title: Downtown Gallery Archive, Abiquiú Notebooks.

Alternate Title (1999 Catalogue Raisonné)

Dark Iris No. 3

Source of title: Whitney Archive.

Dark Iris, No. 3

Source of title: Whitney Archive.

Selected Exhibition Titles

Dark Iris III
Inaugural Exhibition, 1997, Georgia O'Keeffe Museum (Santa Fe)

Dark Iris III
An Expanding Collection, 1998, Georgia O'Keeffe Museum (Santa Fe)

General Remarks

Whitney Archive indicates, "Exam. April 10, 1946....Pale –– abstract." Whitney Archive, Abiquiú Notebooks note backing inscription. Whitney Archive indicates, "Sold to Paul Rosenfeld. Note: The Picture is owned by Paul Rosenfeld....Lent by him to Mrs. Burton Emmett, when I examined it." (Source: Lynes, 1999)

Inscriptions

Inscriptions: Verso: "Georgia O'Keeffe -- May 1927" (black ink) Backing: "Dark Iris, No. 3-1927 / by Georgia O'Keeffe / Handle with / CARE / Pastel]" (Alfred Stieglitz, Label: printed, The Intimate Gallery, black ink) (Source: Lynes, 1999)

Technique

Pastel

Materials

Pastel on paper

Extended Medium Description

Pastel on medium thick, cream, slightly textured wove paper mounted to grey cardboard, illustration board
(Source: Paper Survey researched by Judith C. Walsh and published in Lynes, 1999.)

(The Intimate Gallery, New York, N.Y.)
Paul Rosenfeld, New York, N.Y., ca. 1928
Mrs. Burdon Emmett, New York, N.Y., loan, by 1946
Estate of Paul Rosenfeld, 1946
[. . .] Henry C. Fleming, New York, N.Y., unknown
Andrew Crispo Gallery, Inc., New York, N.Y., unknown
M. Knoedler, New York, N.Y., by 1968
The artist, purchase, 1969
Estate of the artist, 1986
The Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation, Abiquiu, N.Mex., 1993
The Burnett Foundation, Fort Worth, Tex., 1996 (partial share)
Gift to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, 1997
(Source: Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, 2026)

Credits & Rights

© Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

Administrative Information

Version History

Core fields last updated 4/16/2026

Source System ID

21

Other IDs

602, Catalogue Raisonné