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Georgia O'Keeffe Museum: Access O'Keeffe
Georgia O'Keeffe
Sky with Flat White Cloud, 1962
Courtesy of National Gallery of Art.
Image: okeeffe_CR1473_sky-with-flat-white-cloud_857693.jpg
Georgia O'Keeffe
Sky with Flat White Cloud, 1962
Oil on canvas, 60 x 80 inches
CR No. 1473
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Alfred Stieglitz Collection, Bequest of Georgia O'Keeffe, 1987.58.8
Oil on canvas, 60 x 80 inches
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Alfred Stieglitz Collection, Bequest of Georgia O'Keeffe, 1987.58.8
CR No. 1473

A large white cloud fills the lower three-quarters of the canvas. The sky glows yellow where it meets the white rectangle, then transitions to blue at the top of the work.

CR No. 1473

Title (1999 Catalogue Raisonné)

Sky with Flat White Cloud

Source of title: backing inscription.

Alternate Title (1999 Catalogue Raisonné)

Sky Above White Cloud I

Source of title: Abiquiú Notebooks.

Sky Above White Clouds I

Source of title: Whitney Archive in 1969.

General Remarks

Not recorded Downtown Gallery Archive. Whitney Archive in 1969 indicates [by Lloyd Goodrich], "Notes on works seen in Abiquiú, 12/1969: 'Sky Above White Clouds I' 1962 60 x 80. White below, yellow-green along horizon, then pinkish, then blue above. O'K. prefers to #2 and 3 x x x." (By this I meant the two earliest broken–cloud sky ptgs, which I numbered '2' and '3') Marked x for ex(cellent). As I remember it, this painting was hanging in O'Keeffe's living room. I remember it as a solid sky cover of cloud (not broken clouds), and I think with a diagonal darkish track across the clouds, like the trail of a plane." Written 3/70/69. "Doris Bry says no 4/8/70." Goodrich's description matches cat. no. 1483, which explains Doris Bry comment. 59 E 54 is the address of the apartment O'Keeffe and Stieglitz moved into in 1942. Stretcher inscription 2 names maker of stretcher. Abiquiú Notebooks, Whitney Archive after 1969 date 1962. Backing inscription dates 1961. (Source: Lynes, 1999)

Inscriptions

Stretcher:

  1. "59 E 54 Apt 84" (probably OK, graphite)
  2. "L. R. —2—" (unidentified hand, graphite)
  3. "Leo Robinson 60 x 80 [followed by window-pane drawing] 2 [in circle] (unidentified hand, graphite) Backing: "Sky with Flat White Cloud 1961?" (graphite) (Source: Lynes, 1999)

1996 examination report indicates: “There is a stamp on the two central vertical stretcher bars in dark pink ink; “WARP PROOF TREATED ANCO BILT IS WELL BUILT ANCO INC., GLENDALE, N.Y.” Also written in pencil are the inscriptions, lower right; “Leo Robinson, 60 x 80”; lower left, “L-R-R-1” and finally upper right, “59 E 54 Apt. 84” (O’Keefe’s N.Y. address according to Barbara Lynes…” (Source: NGA, 2025)

Technique

Oil Painting

Materials

Oil on canvas

The artist [1887-1986]; her estate; bequest 1987 to NGA. (Source: NGA, 2025)

Credits & Rights

© Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington

Administrative Information

Version History

Core fields last updated 6/10/2026

Last verified by current collection Dec 09 2025

Source System ID

9453

Other IDs

1473, Catalogue Raisonné