1981
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Bacon Later Bacons Basquiat The Man Nude Sport in art Horse
See also : Bacon Later Bacons Basquiat The Man Nude Sport in art Horse
1981 Triptych inspired by the Oresteia of Aeschylus
2020 SOLD for $ 85M by Sotheby's
Francis Bacon has long sought his way to illustrate human weaknesses and suffering. The major influence on his art is the Oresteia by Aeschylus. When he discovers this trilogy, he stops destroying his own productions. It is certainly no coincidence that his seminal work, made in 1944 at the age of 35, is a triptych.
This painting is titled Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion. As a challenge against Christianity, he does not display the Passion but pictures of the Furies who forever pursue their vengeance on the guilty Orestes.
In 1962 Bacon begins using a new format for his completed works : the triptych of oils on canvas sized 198 x 148 cm for each element. He will make 28 of them. Aeschylus continues to haunt him. A triptych painted in 1976 featuring in the central panel Prometheus devoured by the eagle in the presence of the Furies was sold for $ 86M by Sotheby's on May 14, 2008.
On June 29, 2020, Sotheby's sold for $ 85M from a lower estimate of $ 60M Triptych inspired by the Oresteia of Aeschylus, painted in 1981, lot 105. Please watch the First Look video and the Expert Voices video shared by the auction house.
Unlike the Prometheus in the example above, the artist avoids any narrative aspect in his Oresteia to better focus on the sensations. The main figure of each of the three elements is made up of contorted nudity fragments. Homosexual, sado-masochist and atheist, Francis Bacon proclaims his difference by taking Aeschylus as a reference for interpreting the human passions and the impossibility of escaping the Furies of destiny.
Response by Grok 4 :
This painting is titled Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion. As a challenge against Christianity, he does not display the Passion but pictures of the Furies who forever pursue their vengeance on the guilty Orestes.
In 1962 Bacon begins using a new format for his completed works : the triptych of oils on canvas sized 198 x 148 cm for each element. He will make 28 of them. Aeschylus continues to haunt him. A triptych painted in 1976 featuring in the central panel Prometheus devoured by the eagle in the presence of the Furies was sold for $ 86M by Sotheby's on May 14, 2008.
On June 29, 2020, Sotheby's sold for $ 85M from a lower estimate of $ 60M Triptych inspired by the Oresteia of Aeschylus, painted in 1981, lot 105. Please watch the First Look video and the Expert Voices video shared by the auction house.
Unlike the Prometheus in the example above, the artist avoids any narrative aspect in his Oresteia to better focus on the sensations. The main figure of each of the three elements is made up of contorted nudity fragments. Homosexual, sado-masochist and atheist, Francis Bacon proclaims his difference by taking Aeschylus as a reference for interpreting the human passions and the impossibility of escaping the Furies of destiny.
Response by Grok 4 :
- The triptych "Inspired by the Oresteia of Aeschylus" by Francis Bacon, created in 1981, features three distorted, biomorphic figures evoking the vengeful Furies from Aeschylus's 5th-century BC tragedy, which chronicles the cycle of murder and retribution in the House of Atreus, with a 2019 exhibition at the Centre Pompidou highlighting how Bacon drew from literary sources like Aeschylus to explore human anguish and existential dread.
- Sold for $84.55 million at Sotheby's hybrid online auction in June 2020 by the Astrup Fearnley Museet in Oslo—founded by Norwegian shipping heir Hans Rasmus Astrup, who acquired it in 1987—the work exceeded its $60-80 million estimate amid the COVID-19 pandemic, marking one of the highest prices for a Bacon triptych and reflecting the art market's resilience during global lockdowns.
- The painting's raw, contorted forms and stark orange backdrop symbolize the inescapable fate and psychological torment in the Oresteia, themes Bacon revisited from his 1944 triptych also inspired by the Furies, with art historians noting parallels to post-war trauma; a 2022 analysis in a cultural blog connects this to Bacon's "destruction of myth," amid a broader 20th-century trend where Greek tragedies influenced over 50 major artworks, per scholarly reviews.
1981 BASQUIAT
Intro
Diego Cortez moved from Chicago to New York City in 1973, aged 27. Involved in the downtown avant-garde music and art, he is credited to have pushed Jean-Michel Basquiat to create a new art beyond graffiti.
New York Beat is a fictional film shot in December 1980 and January 1981 about the post punk subculture in Manhattan. The star is the then homeless 20 years old Jean-Michel both as a music composer and as a graphic artist. Cortez participated. The film was not released at that time but nearly 20 years later as Downtown 81.
An Untitled acrylic and oilstick on canvas 127 x 300 cm dated 1981 in the style of the Downtown 81 is centered with a large black exuberant head, possibly a selfie, that escapes from the graff to a sophisticated new painting style.
The pseudo graffiti around the head include barbed wire as a symbol of incarceration and slavery, a sheltered S reminding Jean-Michel's street art SAMO tag, a skelly court as used on New York sidewalks for a game of numbered boxes usually played by African American street kids, and some large numerals outside of the game.
Cortez curated in 1981 a group exhibition titled New York New Wave. Amidst local and underground celebrities including Warhol, WS Burroughs, Mapplethorpe, Nan Goldin, the rising stars were Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. This exhibition stirred on Jean-Michel the attention of art dealers Annina Nosei and Bruno Bischofberger.
The Untitled had been acquired by Cortez and went by Bischofberger. It was sold for $ 12M by Christie's on November 7, 2023, lot 8A.
New York Beat is a fictional film shot in December 1980 and January 1981 about the post punk subculture in Manhattan. The star is the then homeless 20 years old Jean-Michel both as a music composer and as a graphic artist. Cortez participated. The film was not released at that time but nearly 20 years later as Downtown 81.
An Untitled acrylic and oilstick on canvas 127 x 300 cm dated 1981 in the style of the Downtown 81 is centered with a large black exuberant head, possibly a selfie, that escapes from the graff to a sophisticated new painting style.
The pseudo graffiti around the head include barbed wire as a symbol of incarceration and slavery, a sheltered S reminding Jean-Michel's street art SAMO tag, a skelly court as used on New York sidewalks for a game of numbered boxes usually played by African American street kids, and some large numerals outside of the game.
Cortez curated in 1981 a group exhibition titled New York New Wave. Amidst local and underground celebrities including Warhol, WS Burroughs, Mapplethorpe, Nan Goldin, the rising stars were Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. This exhibition stirred on Jean-Michel the attention of art dealers Annina Nosei and Bruno Bischofberger.
The Untitled had been acquired by Cortez and went by Bischofberger. It was sold for $ 12M by Christie's on November 7, 2023, lot 8A.
1
The Field next to the Other Road
2015 SOLD for $ 37M by Christie's
In early 1981, success is immediate for Jean-Michel Basquiat. His fame soon transcends borders and Emilio Mazzoli invites him for an exhibition in Modena in May and June.
Jean-Michel painted during the trip. His mixed techniques on canvas 221 x 401 cm starring in life size a character and a cow is even his largest artwork from that seminal year as if he already desired to escape Annina Nosei's basement.
This work entitled The field next to the other road sounds like a holiday souvenir for the young artist who discovers Italy. On the left, it is typical of the already favorite themes of Jean-Michel through that thorn-crowned man with visible skeleton and full sex.
The cow on the right looks like a child's drawing with her innocent gaze and big udder. The line drawing is filled with colors but the artist avoids as always the classical artistic language: the color of one of the legs of the beast is outside the line drawing.
Made in a country with an incomparable artistic past, this painting is a fresco on the theme of life (milk) and death (bones) by a very young man eager for thrills and glory. It was sold for $ 37M from a lower estimate of $ 25M by Christie's on May 13, 2015, lot 55B.
Reported as Unpaid by TheArtNewspaper.
in 2016, Christie’s sued Jose Mugrabi for not respecting the payment terms for Jean-Michel Basquiat’s The Field Next to the Other Road (1981), which he bought in New York in May 2015 for $32.1m.
Grok thought about that issue :
Yes, the sale of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s The Field Next to the Other Road (1981) to Jose Mugrabi (via his company Jombihis Corp.) has been fully validated. Christie’s filed the lawsuit on February 29, 2016, in New York Supreme Court (Case No. 651047/2016) after Mugrabi paid only the initial $5 million installment of the $37.1 million hammer price (plus buyer’s premium), missing subsequent payments due in January and February 2016. The dispute stemmed from Mugrabi bidding on behalf of a client who later withdrew, leaving Mugrabi personally liable under the auction terms.
The parties reached an amicable settlement in principle on March 4, 2016—just days after the filing—under which Mugrabi agreed to pay the outstanding balance in full and took undisputed ownership of the painting. A joint statement from Christie’s, Jombihis, and the Mugrabi family confirmed the resolution, expressing mutual satisfaction and intent to maintain their ongoing relationship. No further litigation occurred, and the settlement terms (including any interest or fees) were not publicly disclosed beyond the full payment commitment.
As of 2025, the painting remains in the Mugrabi family collection and has been exhibited internationally, including at institutions like the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (2018–2019), affirming the transfer of title.
Asking Grok the Significance of that painting in the career of Basquiat :
Significance of The Field Next to the Other Road (1981) in Jean-Michel Basquiat’s career
This large canvas (244 × 297 cm / 96 × 117 in) is one of the most important works from Basquiat’s absolute peak period (1981–1982), when he transitioned from street artist to international gallery star and produced many of his now-iconic masterpieces.
Key reasons why it matters:
Jean-Michel painted during the trip. His mixed techniques on canvas 221 x 401 cm starring in life size a character and a cow is even his largest artwork from that seminal year as if he already desired to escape Annina Nosei's basement.
This work entitled The field next to the other road sounds like a holiday souvenir for the young artist who discovers Italy. On the left, it is typical of the already favorite themes of Jean-Michel through that thorn-crowned man with visible skeleton and full sex.
The cow on the right looks like a child's drawing with her innocent gaze and big udder. The line drawing is filled with colors but the artist avoids as always the classical artistic language: the color of one of the legs of the beast is outside the line drawing.
Made in a country with an incomparable artistic past, this painting is a fresco on the theme of life (milk) and death (bones) by a very young man eager for thrills and glory. It was sold for $ 37M from a lower estimate of $ 25M by Christie's on May 13, 2015, lot 55B.
Reported as Unpaid by TheArtNewspaper.
in 2016, Christie’s sued Jose Mugrabi for not respecting the payment terms for Jean-Michel Basquiat’s The Field Next to the Other Road (1981), which he bought in New York in May 2015 for $32.1m.
Grok thought about that issue :
Yes, the sale of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s The Field Next to the Other Road (1981) to Jose Mugrabi (via his company Jombihis Corp.) has been fully validated. Christie’s filed the lawsuit on February 29, 2016, in New York Supreme Court (Case No. 651047/2016) after Mugrabi paid only the initial $5 million installment of the $37.1 million hammer price (plus buyer’s premium), missing subsequent payments due in January and February 2016. The dispute stemmed from Mugrabi bidding on behalf of a client who later withdrew, leaving Mugrabi personally liable under the auction terms.
The parties reached an amicable settlement in principle on March 4, 2016—just days after the filing—under which Mugrabi agreed to pay the outstanding balance in full and took undisputed ownership of the painting. A joint statement from Christie’s, Jombihis, and the Mugrabi family confirmed the resolution, expressing mutual satisfaction and intent to maintain their ongoing relationship. No further litigation occurred, and the settlement terms (including any interest or fees) were not publicly disclosed beyond the full payment commitment.
As of 2025, the painting remains in the Mugrabi family collection and has been exhibited internationally, including at institutions like the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (2018–2019), affirming the transfer of title.
Asking Grok the Significance of that painting in the career of Basquiat :
Significance of The Field Next to the Other Road (1981) in Jean-Michel Basquiat’s career
This large canvas (244 × 297 cm / 96 × 117 in) is one of the most important works from Basquiat’s absolute peak period (1981–1982), when he transitioned from street artist to international gallery star and produced many of his now-iconic masterpieces.
Key reasons why it matters:
- Pivotal year 1981
- Painted when Basquiat was only 20–21 years old.
- It belongs to the extraordinary burst of productivity right after his first solo show at Annina Nosei in March 1982 (most of the best paintings in that debut exhibition, and in the following shows with Gagosian, Bischofberger, etc., were made in 1981).
- 1981 is widely considered the moment Basquiat fully developed his mature visual language: the fusion of text, diagrams, hatcher marks, crowned heads, and references to African art, jazz, anatomy, and racial history.
- Classic “heroic head” composition
The central figure is one of Basquiat’s most powerful versions of the Black “warrior-saint” or “prophet” motif — a recurring archetype in his work that scholars (e.g., bell hooks, Robert Farris Thompson, Fred Hoffman) interpret as a self-portrait and a symbol of Black genius persecuted yet triumphant. The figure is surrounded by the dense, encyclopedic layering of symbols that became his signature. - Museum-grade early provenance and exhibition history
- First owned by the famous Swiss collectors Doris and Charles Saatchi.
- Included in practically every major Basquiat retrospective since the 1980s (Whitney 1992, Brooklyn Museum 2005, Fondation Beyeler 2010, Fondation Louis Vuitton 2018, Brant Foundation 2019, etc.).
- Its presence in the Saatchi collection in the early 1980s helped cement Basquiat’s reputation in Europe at a time when many American institutions were still hesitant.
- Market benchmark
- When it was sold at Christie’s in May 2015 for $37.1 million ($41.9 million with premium), it set a new auction record for Basquiat at the time (later surpassed, but still a landmark).
- It remains one of only a handful of 1981 large-scale canvases still in private hands; most others are already in museums (e.g., Untitled 1981 at Broad, Profit I at Marciano, etc.).
- Visual and symbolic density
Art historians often cite it as a perfect encapsulation of Basquiat’s themes:- References to slavery and the Middle Passage (the boat-like forms)
- Jazz and bebop heroes
- Anatomical drawings crossed out (erasure of Black bodies from history)
- The mask-like face that simultaneously evokes African sculpture and comic-book exaggeration.
2
La Hara
2017 SOLD for $ 35M by Christie's
Suddenly at ease in 1981 thanks to the support of Annina Nosei, Jean-Michel Basquiat views his future as one of the greatest African-American heroes.
Real life is not so simple. Segregation remains latent in the high society and street artists considered as mere vandals are mercilessly pursued by the police. We cannot blame him for this fear of the cops : two years later one of his friends will be killed in a muscled police intervention.
Whether white or black the policeman is an enemy of his freedom. Jean-Michel makes some caricature portrait paintings of these brutes who maintain the public order. By defiance and by support of his friends who remain in the street, he adds on the back wall some inscriptions appearing as hastily written. In a later phase of his career these often incomprehensible messages will become preponderant.
A 182 x 121 cm panel adorned with the remarkable IRONY OFNEGROPLCEMN tag was sold for £ 8.2M by Phillips de Pury on June 28, 2012.
On May 17, 2017, Christie's sold for $ 35M from a lower estimate of $ 22M a panel of same size painted with acrylic and oilstick which is one of the rare examples in the art of Jean-Michel where the character is a white man, lot 55 B.
This policeman is a massive man with broad shoulders whose function is recognizable in his uniform and kepi. The mouth is open in a cry and the gaze is bloody. On the wall the stylized drawing of a gaunt eagle is a mocking symbol of the federal authority. Below the eagle the tag LA HARA appears four times as a challenge inspired from 'La jara' meaning the cops in Puerto-Rican slang.
Grok thought while asking the evolution between La Hara and Crowns :
La Hara (1981): A Raw, Singular ConfrontationPainted with acrylic and oilstick on a wood panel (72 x 47 3/4 inches), La Hara centers on a single, hulking skeletal figure resembling a ghostly police officer, set against a shocking red background. The composition is dominated by this menacing form, emerging from smoky gray and black clouds in the lower half, with horizontal white lines evoking ribs and abrasive white pigment giving the face a spectral quality. Piercing red eyes, a gold emblem on a cap, military epaulets, and accessories like a thermos and badge add ironic details of authority. The title "LA HARA" is repeated in crude capitals in the upper left, blending Puerto Rican slang for "cop" (jara) with references to Irish-American surnames like O'Hara, symbolizing systemic racism and police presence in 1980s New York. Concentric outlines around the head suggest a halo, crown of thorns, or stitches, layering Christian iconography with themes of martyrdom and violence.
Thematically, the work channels Basquiat's personal fears as a young Black artist amid the city's "war on graffiti" and broken-windows policing, critiquing racial discrimination, urban decay, and the tension between street life and the art world. Stylistically, it retains the frenetic energy of his SAMO graffiti roots—quick strokes, scribbles, and raw emotional force—while transitioning to more structured canvas work in a studio setting. This piece exemplifies Basquiat's early 1981 focus on heroic or villainous archetypes in isolated, high-impact presentations, fusing street aesthetics with modernist influences for direct social commentary.
Real life is not so simple. Segregation remains latent in the high society and street artists considered as mere vandals are mercilessly pursued by the police. We cannot blame him for this fear of the cops : two years later one of his friends will be killed in a muscled police intervention.
Whether white or black the policeman is an enemy of his freedom. Jean-Michel makes some caricature portrait paintings of these brutes who maintain the public order. By defiance and by support of his friends who remain in the street, he adds on the back wall some inscriptions appearing as hastily written. In a later phase of his career these often incomprehensible messages will become preponderant.
A 182 x 121 cm panel adorned with the remarkable IRONY OFNEGROPLCEMN tag was sold for £ 8.2M by Phillips de Pury on June 28, 2012.
On May 17, 2017, Christie's sold for $ 35M from a lower estimate of $ 22M a panel of same size painted with acrylic and oilstick which is one of the rare examples in the art of Jean-Michel where the character is a white man, lot 55 B.
This policeman is a massive man with broad shoulders whose function is recognizable in his uniform and kepi. The mouth is open in a cry and the gaze is bloody. On the wall the stylized drawing of a gaunt eagle is a mocking symbol of the federal authority. Below the eagle the tag LA HARA appears four times as a challenge inspired from 'La jara' meaning the cops in Puerto-Rican slang.
Grok thought while asking the evolution between La Hara and Crowns :
La Hara (1981): A Raw, Singular ConfrontationPainted with acrylic and oilstick on a wood panel (72 x 47 3/4 inches), La Hara centers on a single, hulking skeletal figure resembling a ghostly police officer, set against a shocking red background. The composition is dominated by this menacing form, emerging from smoky gray and black clouds in the lower half, with horizontal white lines evoking ribs and abrasive white pigment giving the face a spectral quality. Piercing red eyes, a gold emblem on a cap, military epaulets, and accessories like a thermos and badge add ironic details of authority. The title "LA HARA" is repeated in crude capitals in the upper left, blending Puerto Rican slang for "cop" (jara) with references to Irish-American surnames like O'Hara, symbolizing systemic racism and police presence in 1980s New York. Concentric outlines around the head suggest a halo, crown of thorns, or stitches, layering Christian iconography with themes of martyrdom and violence.
Thematically, the work channels Basquiat's personal fears as a young Black artist amid the city's "war on graffiti" and broken-windows policing, critiquing racial discrimination, urban decay, and the tension between street life and the art world. Stylistically, it retains the frenetic energy of his SAMO graffiti roots—quick strokes, scribbles, and raw emotional force—while transitioning to more structured canvas work in a studio setting. This piece exemplifies Basquiat's early 1981 focus on heroic or villainous archetypes in isolated, high-impact presentations, fusing street aesthetics with modernist influences for direct social commentary.
3
Warrior
2014 SOLD for $ 35M by Christie's
At the beginning of 1981, the enigmatic SAMO, a young artist from the streets of New York, participated in an exhibition in Queens. This will be the year of his fame under his real name, Jean-Michel Basquiat. As soon as he was invited to work in Annina Nosei's basement in 1981, he gathered the elements of his personal mythology.
On May 13, 2014, Christie's sold for $ 35M from a lower estimate of $ 20M one of his earliest paintings on canvas, lot 36. This painting has certainly been made in the studio arranged for Jean-Michel in the basement of Annina Nosei, who sold the artwork in the following year.
This work includes everything that we may imagine from the street art by SAMO : large size, strident colors, war symbols, fierce humor. The mixing of techniques has already reached its top level of efficiency : acrylic, oil stick, metallic spray enamel.
The character is an African warrior in the rough. He is crowned and sexual, with organs visible by transparency. In attack position, he is by one hand Jupiter brandishing the lightning and by the other hand a rebel crusader wielding the sword. The claws of the feet reinforce the doubts about his belonging to mankind.
Unlike other paintings of the same period, this one is sprinkled with wild and incomprehensible words which are martial onomatopoeia (TAR TAR TAR ) or lyrical tunes (OEOEE). Later, similar strange expressions shall almost always enhance the social revolt of his characters.
On November 12, 2013, Christie's sold as lot 15 a simplified version of this image for $ 29M. Just as deliciously terrifying, this 183 x 122 cm acrylic and oilstick on wood painted in 1982 for Annina Nosei brings a better readability of the character, almost life-size in a surrounding of more vivid colors.
The main biomorphic features are retained, such as the skull-shaped head and the opening of the torso to internal organs. He is a tribal leader or an African American champion, with boxer shorts and gigantic feet that provide stability and triumph. The three-pointed crown is larger and in a shining golden yellow. The blood-red eyes are replaced with a gold plating.
Unlike the example of the previous year, the character no longer needs tags to convey his message. The weapons are replaced by a gigantic golden femur brandished like a scepter by this king of high fantasy. He is both winner and victim, ridiculous and autobiographical, in line with Basquiat's scathing humor of the time.
On May 13, 2014, Christie's sold for $ 35M from a lower estimate of $ 20M one of his earliest paintings on canvas, lot 36. This painting has certainly been made in the studio arranged for Jean-Michel in the basement of Annina Nosei, who sold the artwork in the following year.
This work includes everything that we may imagine from the street art by SAMO : large size, strident colors, war symbols, fierce humor. The mixing of techniques has already reached its top level of efficiency : acrylic, oil stick, metallic spray enamel.
The character is an African warrior in the rough. He is crowned and sexual, with organs visible by transparency. In attack position, he is by one hand Jupiter brandishing the lightning and by the other hand a rebel crusader wielding the sword. The claws of the feet reinforce the doubts about his belonging to mankind.
Unlike other paintings of the same period, this one is sprinkled with wild and incomprehensible words which are martial onomatopoeia (TAR TAR TAR ) or lyrical tunes (OEOEE). Later, similar strange expressions shall almost always enhance the social revolt of his characters.
On November 12, 2013, Christie's sold as lot 15 a simplified version of this image for $ 29M. Just as deliciously terrifying, this 183 x 122 cm acrylic and oilstick on wood painted in 1982 for Annina Nosei brings a better readability of the character, almost life-size in a surrounding of more vivid colors.
The main biomorphic features are retained, such as the skull-shaped head and the opening of the torso to internal organs. He is a tribal leader or an African American champion, with boxer shorts and gigantic feet that provide stability and triumph. The three-pointed crown is larger and in a shining golden yellow. The blood-red eyes are replaced with a gold plating.
Unlike the example of the previous year, the character no longer needs tags to convey his message. The weapons are replaced by a gigantic golden femur brandished like a scepter by this king of high fantasy. He is both winner and victim, ridiculous and autobiographical, in line with Basquiat's scathing humor of the time.
4
Fisherman
2012 SOLD for $ 26.4M by Christie's
In 1981, Annina Nosei offered to a very young street artist a place to work in the basement of her gallery in New York. The result certainly exceeded the intention. Who could really predict that the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat would be within a few months the first strong representation of angers and hopes of the abandoned of the society?
The mystery of the instant makeover of Jean-Michel at Nosei does not stay in the grammar of his figuration, whose originality was already recognizable in his graffiti. It is the amazing technical mastery that he suddenly demonstrated for large formats which he had never practiced.
Jean-Michel was already mastering his drawing which he applied in increasingly detailed layers. And he also mastered color, executed in oilstick, acrylic and spray enamel applied with a spontaneity that would have pleased the abstract expressionists.
We do not know the exact day of the works made by Basquiat in Nosei basement but the canvas, 198 x 173 cm sold for $ 26.4M by Christie's on November 14, 2012, lot 42, is known as one of the first.
The fisherman is standing with his black body revealing the skeleton. He wears a crown of thorns and a halo of the same nature. The huge fish is hanging from the line. Basquiat is a threat to the well-meaning art of his time, and the fish could be a voodoo poison taken out of water by a new ambiguous god.
The mystery of the instant makeover of Jean-Michel at Nosei does not stay in the grammar of his figuration, whose originality was already recognizable in his graffiti. It is the amazing technical mastery that he suddenly demonstrated for large formats which he had never practiced.
Jean-Michel was already mastering his drawing which he applied in increasingly detailed layers. And he also mastered color, executed in oilstick, acrylic and spray enamel applied with a spontaneity that would have pleased the abstract expressionists.
We do not know the exact day of the works made by Basquiat in Nosei basement but the canvas, 198 x 173 cm sold for $ 26.4M by Christie's on November 14, 2012, lot 42, is known as one of the first.
The fisherman is standing with his black body revealing the skeleton. He wears a crown of thorns and a halo of the same nature. The huge fish is hanging from the line. Basquiat is a threat to the well-meaning art of his time, and the fish could be a voodoo poison taken out of water by a new ambiguous god.
5
Untitled
2012 SOLD for $ 16.3M by Phillips de Pury
In 1981, New York discovered Basquiat. He is 21 years old, has already made graffiti and noise rock and played hisown role as a street child in an underground movie, and his artistic skill is exciting Warhol.
His growing fame enables him to develop his art. He works in the basement of the Nosei gallery which supplies him with the large size canvases and panels on which he expresses his revolt.
His major works of that year are mystical. The unique character deifies the emigrant black. As towering as a saint by El Greco, he is naked and sexed, with above his head a halo of thorns which is a reminder of the artist's education. His skin is made in two colors, in memory of his double Haitian and Puerto Rican origin, and transparent to revealthe ribs.
Despite his humble origins, Basquiat had a consistent knowledge of modern art. He used jointly acrylic, oilstick and spray paints for his violent chromatic effects assorted with subtle shades.
A canvas, 200 x 183 cm, with a larger than life character, was sold $ 14.6M by Sotheby's on May 15, 2007. Another one, 177 x 199 cm, sold for $ 11.2M by Phillips de Pury on May 15, 2008, shows a fallen angel, perhaps the best evidence that these figures are not self-portraits but rather the expression of a mystical outsider culture.
On May 10, 2012, Phillips de Pury sold for $ 16.3M from a lower estimate of $ 8M a painting on wood, 186 x 125 cm, lot 6. The character is visible as a whole (in every meaning of the word ...).
Now money is arriving. A few months later, Basquiat leaves Nosei and tastes the combined effects of luxury and drugs. In the following year his iconography is diversifying, becoming more difficult to decode.
His growing fame enables him to develop his art. He works in the basement of the Nosei gallery which supplies him with the large size canvases and panels on which he expresses his revolt.
His major works of that year are mystical. The unique character deifies the emigrant black. As towering as a saint by El Greco, he is naked and sexed, with above his head a halo of thorns which is a reminder of the artist's education. His skin is made in two colors, in memory of his double Haitian and Puerto Rican origin, and transparent to revealthe ribs.
Despite his humble origins, Basquiat had a consistent knowledge of modern art. He used jointly acrylic, oilstick and spray paints for his violent chromatic effects assorted with subtle shades.
A canvas, 200 x 183 cm, with a larger than life character, was sold $ 14.6M by Sotheby's on May 15, 2007. Another one, 177 x 199 cm, sold for $ 11.2M by Phillips de Pury on May 15, 2008, shows a fallen angel, perhaps the best evidence that these figures are not self-portraits but rather the expression of a mystical outsider culture.
On May 10, 2012, Phillips de Pury sold for $ 16.3M from a lower estimate of $ 8M a painting on wood, 186 x 125 cm, lot 6. The character is visible as a whole (in every meaning of the word ...).
Now money is arriving. A few months later, Basquiat leaves Nosei and tastes the combined effects of luxury and drugs. In the following year his iconography is diversifying, becoming more difficult to decode.
6
Untitled
2012 SOLD for £ 13M by Christie's
Jean-Michel Basquiat is the first African American modernist to transcend the white establishment in the history of art. 1981 is a favorable time. Thirteen years after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, the society is changing. The Street art, derived from the punk movement, challenges the conventions.
In January 1981, he is known to a few insiders who want to observe how the growing insecurity in New York City inspires young artists and musicians. In December he is recognized as the most gifted and subtle of the street artists.
His belief has not changed in the mean time. He wants to glorify the African American hero, completely ignored in the museums. He shows the daydream and the real life : the powerful black warrior kings and the white cops.
Top level sport offers to the Black champions their revenge against racial inequality. By showing the triumph, Jean-Michel deliberately confuses the athlete and the warrior. He rightly considers boxing as the typical field where whites have lost the game. The champions of his youth were Joe Louis, Jersey Joe Walcott, Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali.
An acrylic, oil stick and spray paint on canvas 200 x 183 cm was sold for $ 14.6M by Sotheby's on May 15, 2007, lot 15, and for £ 13M by Christie's on June 27, 2012, lot 31. Made in 1981 shortly before New York City discovered the art of Basquiat, it features a hybrid character, life size, the mixture of a mystic deity lifting the crown of thorns above his head and of the powerful Black boxing champion in the attitude of triumph.
In his childhood Jean-Michel had often watched boxing matches on television and he does not disdain the action. World crown, 122 x 142 cm, is a very rare egalitarian example, caught in a fight between a white and a black without identifying which of the two will win. This painting was sold for $ 11.5M by Sotheby's on May 12, 2015, lot 27.
This World Crown is a very rare example where two boxers are in full swing. The stylized figures do not prevent the expression of strength and aggressiveness, quite the contrary. These fighting guys form the single theme of this image. The title of world champion is at stake. A crown with three points will be attributed to each of the competitors and none is taking advantage in this remarkable symbol of racial equality through sport.
In January 1981, he is known to a few insiders who want to observe how the growing insecurity in New York City inspires young artists and musicians. In December he is recognized as the most gifted and subtle of the street artists.
His belief has not changed in the mean time. He wants to glorify the African American hero, completely ignored in the museums. He shows the daydream and the real life : the powerful black warrior kings and the white cops.
Top level sport offers to the Black champions their revenge against racial inequality. By showing the triumph, Jean-Michel deliberately confuses the athlete and the warrior. He rightly considers boxing as the typical field where whites have lost the game. The champions of his youth were Joe Louis, Jersey Joe Walcott, Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali.
An acrylic, oil stick and spray paint on canvas 200 x 183 cm was sold for $ 14.6M by Sotheby's on May 15, 2007, lot 15, and for £ 13M by Christie's on June 27, 2012, lot 31. Made in 1981 shortly before New York City discovered the art of Basquiat, it features a hybrid character, life size, the mixture of a mystic deity lifting the crown of thorns above his head and of the powerful Black boxing champion in the attitude of triumph.
In his childhood Jean-Michel had often watched boxing matches on television and he does not disdain the action. World crown, 122 x 142 cm, is a very rare egalitarian example, caught in a fight between a white and a black without identifying which of the two will win. This painting was sold for $ 11.5M by Sotheby's on May 12, 2015, lot 27.
This World Crown is a very rare example where two boxers are in full swing. The stylized figures do not prevent the expression of strength and aggressiveness, quite the contrary. These fighting guys form the single theme of this image. The title of world champion is at stake. A crown with three points will be attributed to each of the competitors and none is taking advantage in this remarkable symbol of racial equality through sport.
7
December 1981 Crowns (Peso Neto)
2025 SOLD for $ 48M by Sotheby's
The participation of Jean-Michel Basquiat in a collective exhibition in February 1981 attracted the attention of three merchants who will separately have a leading role in the start of his career : Emilio Mazzoli, Annina Nosei and Bruno Bischofberger.
It is to the honor of Annina Nosei to have convinced Jean-Michel that her basement was more appropriate than the streets of New York to let his skills explode. This close collaboration during which the artist can finally work regularly on very large canvases lasted from September 1981 to November 1982.
Crowns, subtitled Peso Neto, is an acrylic, oilstick and paper collage on canvas 194 x 240 cm by Basquiat, dated December 25, 1981. It was sold for $ 48M from a lower estimate of $ 35M by Sotheby's on November 18, 2025, lot 120.
Asking Grok to reveal the evolution of Basquiat's art from La Hara, sold by Christie's in 2017, to Crowns, anticipating composition changes of 1982. The short video is shared by the auction house.
Grok thought :
Jean-Michel Basquiat's La Hara (1981) and Crowns (Peso Neto) (1981) both hail from a transformative year in the artist's career, when he was shifting from street graffiti to studio-based painting and gaining rapid gallery recognition. La Hara sold for $35 million at Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale on May 17, 2017, as lot 55B. Crowns (Peso Neto) is slated for Sotheby's The Now & Contemporary Evening Auction on November 18, 2025, as lot 120, with an estimate of $35–45 million. These works, created months apart in 1981, illustrate an early progression in Basquiat's style—from more singular, confrontational figures to multifaceted, symbolic arrangements—that foreshadowed the denser, more layered compositions defining his output in 1982.
Crowns (Peso Neto) (1981): Layered Symbols and Multiplicity
Executed later in 1981 on a larger canvas (76 1/4 x 94 1/4 inches), Crowns (Peso Neto) marks a shift toward greater compositional complexity. The work features a white plane animated by Basquiat's mark-making: cartographic lines, grids, cross-hatching, and multiple Black faces topped with his signature crowns, evoking regality, sainthood, and heroism. Splashes of red, yellow, and blue punctuate the top, adding dynamism to the flattened perspective, while raw canvas edges and tallies contribute a sense of urban grit. Central black and white heads create stark dualities, interrogating power imbalances in art history, with crowns positioned as halos or thorns to blend reverence and sacrifice. The phrase "PESO NETO" (Spanish for "net weight") in the lower left critiques capitalism, commerce, and racial inequity, drawing from Basquiat's Puerto Rican heritage and allusions to boxing weight classes or market valuation.
Thematically, it expands on identity, fame, and power, elevating marginalized figures (musicians, athletes) through crowns while highlighting tensions between empowerment and dehumanization. Unlike La Hara's solitary focus, this piece's multiplicity of motifs—crowns repeated, grids for frenetic energy, and self-referential elements—reflects Basquiat's growing lexicon, blending graffiti text with abstract figuration. Debuted at his first solo show at Annina Nosei Gallery in March 1982 and featured at documenta 7 that summer, it captures his unbridled maturity at 21, free from heavy market pressures.
Evolution and Anticipation of 1982 Changes
The progression from La Hara to Crowns (Peso Neto) reveals Basquiat's rapid stylistic maturation within 1981, moving from a concentrated, single-figure narrative with direct social punch to a more expansive, collage-like arrangement of symbols and texts that invites broader interpretation. La Hara's raw, confrontational isolation emphasizes emotional immediacy and personal demons, rooted in street art's urgency. In contrast, Crowns (Peso Neto) introduces denser layering—multiple crowns, dualistic heads, and integrated critiques of commerce—solidifying motifs like the crown that would become hallmarks of his work. This shift anticipates the composition changes of 1982, when Basquiat's paintings grew even more intricate, incorporating distorted anatomies, vibrant color fields, cryptic references to art history (e.g., Leonardo da Vinci, Cy Twombly), and deeper explorations of Black identity and consumerism in pieces like Untitled (Skull) (1981–82), Self-Portrait as a Heel (Part Two) (1982), and Six Crimee (1982). By 1982, his international breakthrough year, these elements evolved into larger-scale, more abstract narratives blending forceful lines from graffiti with sophisticated cultural commentary, cementing his status as a Neo-Expressionist force. This internal evolution in 1981's works like Crowns laid the groundwork for 1982's heightened complexity, where symbols proliferated and themes of mortality, heroism, and critique intensified amid his rising fame.
Pre sale Grok thought :
Quote
Artnet @artnet Oct 11
#ArtnetNews: An early painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat is making its first appearance on the auction block. It anchors Sotheby’s Contemporary Evening Sale in November, where it is expected to fetch in the region $35 million to $45 million—the highest estimate for any work by the artist.
It is to the honor of Annina Nosei to have convinced Jean-Michel that her basement was more appropriate than the streets of New York to let his skills explode. This close collaboration during which the artist can finally work regularly on very large canvases lasted from September 1981 to November 1982.
Crowns, subtitled Peso Neto, is an acrylic, oilstick and paper collage on canvas 194 x 240 cm by Basquiat, dated December 25, 1981. It was sold for $ 48M from a lower estimate of $ 35M by Sotheby's on November 18, 2025, lot 120.
Asking Grok to reveal the evolution of Basquiat's art from La Hara, sold by Christie's in 2017, to Crowns, anticipating composition changes of 1982. The short video is shared by the auction house.
Grok thought :
Jean-Michel Basquiat's La Hara (1981) and Crowns (Peso Neto) (1981) both hail from a transformative year in the artist's career, when he was shifting from street graffiti to studio-based painting and gaining rapid gallery recognition. La Hara sold for $35 million at Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale on May 17, 2017, as lot 55B. Crowns (Peso Neto) is slated for Sotheby's The Now & Contemporary Evening Auction on November 18, 2025, as lot 120, with an estimate of $35–45 million. These works, created months apart in 1981, illustrate an early progression in Basquiat's style—from more singular, confrontational figures to multifaceted, symbolic arrangements—that foreshadowed the denser, more layered compositions defining his output in 1982.
Crowns (Peso Neto) (1981): Layered Symbols and Multiplicity
Executed later in 1981 on a larger canvas (76 1/4 x 94 1/4 inches), Crowns (Peso Neto) marks a shift toward greater compositional complexity. The work features a white plane animated by Basquiat's mark-making: cartographic lines, grids, cross-hatching, and multiple Black faces topped with his signature crowns, evoking regality, sainthood, and heroism. Splashes of red, yellow, and blue punctuate the top, adding dynamism to the flattened perspective, while raw canvas edges and tallies contribute a sense of urban grit. Central black and white heads create stark dualities, interrogating power imbalances in art history, with crowns positioned as halos or thorns to blend reverence and sacrifice. The phrase "PESO NETO" (Spanish for "net weight") in the lower left critiques capitalism, commerce, and racial inequity, drawing from Basquiat's Puerto Rican heritage and allusions to boxing weight classes or market valuation.
Thematically, it expands on identity, fame, and power, elevating marginalized figures (musicians, athletes) through crowns while highlighting tensions between empowerment and dehumanization. Unlike La Hara's solitary focus, this piece's multiplicity of motifs—crowns repeated, grids for frenetic energy, and self-referential elements—reflects Basquiat's growing lexicon, blending graffiti text with abstract figuration. Debuted at his first solo show at Annina Nosei Gallery in March 1982 and featured at documenta 7 that summer, it captures his unbridled maturity at 21, free from heavy market pressures.
Evolution and Anticipation of 1982 Changes
The progression from La Hara to Crowns (Peso Neto) reveals Basquiat's rapid stylistic maturation within 1981, moving from a concentrated, single-figure narrative with direct social punch to a more expansive, collage-like arrangement of symbols and texts that invites broader interpretation. La Hara's raw, confrontational isolation emphasizes emotional immediacy and personal demons, rooted in street art's urgency. In contrast, Crowns (Peso Neto) introduces denser layering—multiple crowns, dualistic heads, and integrated critiques of commerce—solidifying motifs like the crown that would become hallmarks of his work. This shift anticipates the composition changes of 1982, when Basquiat's paintings grew even more intricate, incorporating distorted anatomies, vibrant color fields, cryptic references to art history (e.g., Leonardo da Vinci, Cy Twombly), and deeper explorations of Black identity and consumerism in pieces like Untitled (Skull) (1981–82), Self-Portrait as a Heel (Part Two) (1982), and Six Crimee (1982). By 1982, his international breakthrough year, these elements evolved into larger-scale, more abstract narratives blending forceful lines from graffiti with sophisticated cultural commentary, cementing his status as a Neo-Expressionist force. This internal evolution in 1981's works like Crowns laid the groundwork for 1982's heightened complexity, where symbols proliferated and themes of mortality, heroism, and critique intensified amid his rising fame.
Pre sale Grok thought :
Quote
Artnet @artnet Oct 11
#ArtnetNews: An early painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat is making its first appearance on the auction block. It anchors Sotheby’s Contemporary Evening Sale in November, where it is expected to fetch in the region $35 million to $45 million—the highest estimate for any work by the artist.
- Artnet spotlights Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1981 "Crowns (Peso Neto)," a Christmas Eve creation debuting at auction with a $35–$45 million estimate—the top for his early works—amid his transition from graffiti to fine art.
- The large-scale canvas blends cartographic lines, crowned Black figures, and Spanish text "PESO NETO" (net weight), echoing themes of identity and power; it featured in Basquiat's first solo show and major retrospectives like Whitney 1992.
- From a distinguished European collection with pristine provenance, the painting anchors Sotheby's November 18, 2025, sale, potentially boosting Basquiat's market after records like $110 million for a 1982 untitled work.
1981 Untitled I by De Kooning
2007 SOLD for $ 19M by Christie's
The aging De Kooning could not sustain for a long time the exhausting process of his masterpieces of 1977 and early 1978. He fell once again in alcoholism and severe anxiety and painstakingly restarted painting in late 1980 with the help of Elaine. He was now concerned by the balance and rhythm of pure colors instead of the rendering of the atmosphere of Long Island.
The Untitled I of 1981, oil on canvas 223 x 195 cm, was sold for $ 19M by Christie's on May 16, 2007, lot 29.
The horizontal and vertical brushstrokes and scraps invite to rotate the canvas for another view. This abstract opus may then be interpreted as a double human figure while some details may be anthropomorphic, for example the convexity of an elbow. Such lack of balance is certainly intentional, as the artist would certainly have deleted it otherwise.
The Untitled VII of 1981, 203 x 178 cm, was sold for $ 14.6M by Christie's on November 11, 2021, lot 40C.
The next step in de Kooning's style will be to simplify the waving lines on smooth backgrounds.
The Untitled I of 1981, oil on canvas 223 x 195 cm, was sold for $ 19M by Christie's on May 16, 2007, lot 29.
The horizontal and vertical brushstrokes and scraps invite to rotate the canvas for another view. This abstract opus may then be interpreted as a double human figure while some details may be anthropomorphic, for example the convexity of an elbow. Such lack of balance is certainly intentional, as the artist would certainly have deleted it otherwise.
The Untitled VII of 1981, 203 x 178 cm, was sold for $ 14.6M by Christie's on November 11, 2021, lot 40C.
The next step in de Kooning's style will be to simplify the waving lines on smooth backgrounds.
1981 Jubilant Grassland by Huang Zhou
2013 SOLD for RMB 130M by Poly
Huang Zhou liked to express vitality and enthusiasm in his animal studies. Banished during the Cultural Revolution, he actively contributed to the artistic reconstruction and prepared works for diplomatic receptions.
A group of riders in an open field, including in the foreground a woman taming a prancing horse, 205 x 140 cm painted in 1972, was sold for RMB 60M by China Guardian on May 22, 2011, lot 1176.
In 1979, on an official visit to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, he was fascinated by traditional customs. In the meadow, at an altitude of 3000 m, the Kirghiz wrestle on horseback between two teams which are distinguished from each other by the color of the embroidery. This sport is also played by women.
The artist is sick. In 1981, with a delay of two years due to a general paralysis, he paints in ink and colors two works on the theme of Kirghiz wrestling, under the title Jubilant Grassland. One of them is hung in the guesthouse for foreign heads of state.
The other, 142 x 360 cm, was used in 1984 as a diplomatic gift for Armand Hammer. The artist had used vegetable pigments and mineral repaints are done to improve stability before the artwork is presented to the "red magnate" visiting Beijing.
Jubilant Grassland, arguably the artist's masterpiece, features two women's teams, for a total of 7 riders, 9 sheepdogs and 80 horses including a large unsaddled group in middle ground. This artwork was sold for RMB 130M by Poly in cooperation with the Huang Zhou Art Foundation on December 2, 2013, lot 1921. It is illustrated in the post sale report by ChinaDaily.
A group of riders in an open field, including in the foreground a woman taming a prancing horse, 205 x 140 cm painted in 1972, was sold for RMB 60M by China Guardian on May 22, 2011, lot 1176.
In 1979, on an official visit to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, he was fascinated by traditional customs. In the meadow, at an altitude of 3000 m, the Kirghiz wrestle on horseback between two teams which are distinguished from each other by the color of the embroidery. This sport is also played by women.
The artist is sick. In 1981, with a delay of two years due to a general paralysis, he paints in ink and colors two works on the theme of Kirghiz wrestling, under the title Jubilant Grassland. One of them is hung in the guesthouse for foreign heads of state.
The other, 142 x 360 cm, was used in 1984 as a diplomatic gift for Armand Hammer. The artist had used vegetable pigments and mineral repaints are done to improve stability before the artwork is presented to the "red magnate" visiting Beijing.
Jubilant Grassland, arguably the artist's masterpiece, features two women's teams, for a total of 7 riders, 9 sheepdogs and 80 horses including a large unsaddled group in middle ground. This artwork was sold for RMB 130M by Poly in cooperation with the Huang Zhou Art Foundation on December 2, 2013, lot 1921. It is illustrated in the post sale report by ChinaDaily.
