Aziz Art June 2016

Her work commanded high prices;
in 1928, Stieglitz masterminded a
sale of six of her calla lily paintings
for US$25,000, which would have
been the largest sum ever paid for
a group of paintings by a living
American artist. Although the sale
fell through, Stieglitz's promotion
of it drew extensive media
attention.
Later years and death
In 1972, O'Keeffe's eyesight was
compromised by macular
degeneration, leading to the
loss of central vision and leaving
her with only peripheral vision.
She stopped oil painting without
assistance in 1972, but continued
working in pencil and charcoal
until 1984.Juan Hamilton, a
young potter, appeared at her
ranch house in 1973 looking for
work.
She hired him for a few odd jobs
and soon employed him full-time.
He became her closest confidant,
companion, and business manager
until her death. Hamilton taught
O'Keeffe to work with clay and,
working with assistance, she
produced clay pots and a series of
works in watercolor. In 1976, she
wrote a book about her art and
allowed a film to be made about
her in 1977.
O'Keeffe became increasingly frail
in her late 90s. She moved to Santa
Fe in 1984, where she died on
March 6, 1986 at the age of 98.In
accordance with her wishes, her
body was cremated and her ashes
were scattered to the wind at the
top of Pedernal Mountain, over her
beloved "faraway".
Awards
In 1962, O'Keeffe was elected to
the fifty-member American
Academy of Arts and Letters. In
1966, she was elected a Fellow of
the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences.In 1977, President Gerald
R. Ford presented O'Keeffe with the
Presidential Medal of Freedom, the
highest honor awarded to
American civilians.In 1985, she was
awarded the National Medal of
Arts.