We can all recognize O’Keeffe’s style a mile away as she was known for her watercolor flower paintings with a very specific flair. When she later moved to New Mexico she began to paint landscapes that included desert scenery, animal skulls, and alike, which was a huge departure from her previously uplifting floral pieces.
O’Keeffe was known as the “Mother of American modernism” and became the the highest paid female artist when her piece titled Jimson Weed/White Flower No 1, sold at auction in May 2014 for over 44 million dollars.
Needless to say, if you have any pieces by Georgia O’Keeffe contact us for a valuation and consultation. We can assist you in the resale of a piece of art, or an entire collection. We manage both full Newport Beach estate sales as well as special single items.
Towards the end of O’keeffe’s life she hired a 27 year old man, John Bruce Hamilton, who was a potter, to be a live-in assistant and ultimately a caretaker. Hamilton taught O’Keeffe to work with clay and encouraged her to write her autobiography. Hamilton worked for her for 13 years. O’Keeffe became increasingly frail and died on March 6, 1986 at the age of 98. Her will was contested because codicils she executed in the 1980’s left most of her $76 million estate to Hamilton. The case was ultimately settled out of court in July 1987 so few know the true outcome. This matter became famous as a precedent in estate planning even though many rich and famous still do not have their arrangements in order.
Selling fine art without professional assistance is seldom a good idea. No one should have unvetted people into their homes for any reason, especially in the Newport Beach and Corona Del Mar areas. Additionally selling art on your own does not give you the worldwide scope you need to receive the proper market value. We have various ways of marketing fine art for the maximum return. Private sale, public sale, auction, consignment, and alike. Additionally we take care of everything from start to finish. We arrange for payment and never release the property until funds are verified, we also take care of delivery and shipping if applicable. For high profile art we arrange for a chain of custody and applicable liability insurance by all is of course required (and reviewed for proper levels of coverage). You can have complete comfort having senior management of California Estate Sales and Auctions in charge of your fine art.