6. Georgia O’Keeffe – Horse Skull With White Rose 1931
Recently Georgia O’Keeffe’s work ‘Jimson Weed/White Flower No 1’, a 1932, a painting of a simple white flower, made history at auction. The floral painting by the late US artist sold for $44.4 million or £28.8 million at auction; this sets a record for an artwork by a female artist. But that was not a monochromatic work like the famous one above. Having specialised in the painting of flowers, the artist’s work of the previous year reflected O’Keeffe’s fascination with the desert, after spending more time in New Mexico and less in New York, she became fascinated with the bleached bones that she found there. Although the horse’s skull depicted here reflected this new love for the artist, the flower motif remained a part of O’Keeffe’s work, creating a deathly monochrome with a hint of life.