Jean-Michel BASQUIAT (1960-1988)
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : USA The Man Self portrait Self portrait II Groups
Chronology : 1980-1989 1981 1982 1983 1984
See also : USA The Man Self portrait Self portrait II Groups
Chronology : 1980-1989 1981 1982 1983 1984
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.
January 1982
2017 SOLD for $ 110M by Sotheby's
During that first year Jean-Michel mostly displays characters in full length, apostles of negritude whose transparency of the flesh reveals the skeleton. His perfectly mastered technique with acrylic, spray and oilstick and his fast and accurate stroke bring the expression of an activism unprecedented in art.
The monumental heads painted in 1982 are the culmination of the art of Jean-Michel. On May 18, 2017, Sotheby's sold for $ 110M from an estimate in excess of $ 60M a painting 183 x 173 cm executed in January 1982 for the Nosei Gallery, lot 24.
Like many opus by Jean-Michel, it is untitled. The theme is limited to a huge head to which bright colors and aggressive teeth provide an angry expression. By its transparency, it is a skull or perhaps a mask. Without neck or body, it floats before a blue sky that is perhaps only a gap in a tagged wall.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Sotheby's @Sothebys May 19, 2017
#WorldAuctionRecord Basquiat's seminal 'Untitled' work from 1982 soars to $110.5 million - after 10 minutes of bidding
The monumental heads painted in 1982 are the culmination of the art of Jean-Michel. On May 18, 2017, Sotheby's sold for $ 110M from an estimate in excess of $ 60M a painting 183 x 173 cm executed in January 1982 for the Nosei Gallery, lot 24.
Like many opus by Jean-Michel, it is untitled. The theme is limited to a huge head to which bright colors and aggressive teeth provide an angry expression. By its transparency, it is a skull or perhaps a mask. Without neck or body, it floats before a blue sky that is perhaps only a gap in a tagged wall.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Sotheby's @Sothebys May 19, 2017
#WorldAuctionRecord Basquiat's seminal 'Untitled' work from 1982 soars to $110.5 million - after 10 minutes of bidding
- The 1982 Basquiat painting "Untitled," sold for $110.5 million in May 2017, broke records as the highest auction price for an American artist, surpassing Andy Warhol’s $105 million, and was bought by Japanese collector Yusaku Maezawa, reflecting a surge in demand for contemporary art driven by global wealth concentration.
- Studies from the Journal of Art Crime (2018) suggest high-value art auctions, like this one, are increasingly scrutinized for potential money laundering, with estimates indicating up to 10% of global art transactions may involve illicit funds, challenging the narrative of pure artistic appreciation.
- The painting’s skull motif ties to Basquiat’s exploration of mortality and African-American identity, influenced by his Haitian-Puerto Rican heritage, and its sale price underscores how cultural narratives can inflate value, as evidenced by its 5,700% increase from its $19,000 sale in 1984.
March 1982 Untitled (Demon)
2022 SOLD for $ 85M by Phillips
Jean-Michel Basquiat made two trips to Italy early in his career. The first visit in the spring of 1981 was caused by the exhibition dedicated to him in Modena by Emilio Mazzoli.
Jean-Michel returns to Modena in March 1982. Through the example of the Field next to the other road painted there in 1981 on a 221 x 401 cm canvas, he appreciated that the basement of Annina Nosei was already not sufficient to match his grand vision. This painting was sold for $ 37M by Christie's in 2015. He will part from the Nosei gallery in favor of Bischofberger in the summer of 1982.
During his Spring 1982 stay in Modena, he executes a pair of paintings on the traditional Italian theme of paradise and hell but as usual he blurs the message to exacerbate his vision of the power to the blacks. An advised art critic would later comment that Jean-Michel Basquiat had been the Jimi Hendrix of painting.
Jean-Michel understood the visual advantage of gigantism which will be one of the essential characteristics of the art of our time : the size of the canvas is 239 x 500 cm. It is painted in acrylic without oil stick, enabling to introduce some drippings below the puddles of bright colors surrounding the horned head.
Some observers see a self-portrait in this devil. This is an excessive opinion because the lines are stylized, but indeed this threatening tribal face reflects the ambition of the young artist to become a redeemer of the world.
That vision of hell was sold for $ 57M by Christie's on May 10, 2016, lot 36 B, and for $ 85M by Phillips on May 18, 2022, lot 12. Please watch the video shared by Phillips.
Jean-Michel had not needed to give a title to his Demon, unlike the divine figure which he called Profit I by one of his usual claw blows against capitalism. The contrast is striking : here the background is dark and tagged, the round mouth is shouting a sermon that nobody will listen.
Profit I, 220 x 400 cm, had established a temporary world record at auction for the artist on May 14, 2002 when it was sold by Christie's for $ 5.5M, lot 34.
Responses by Grok 4 :
Jean-Michel Basquiat's Untitled (1982), a striking piece featuring his signature skull motif, sold for $85,000,000 at Phillips New York on May 18, 2022, as lot 12 in their Contemporary Art Evening Sale. This sale marked a significant moment, reflecting the strong demand for Basquiat's work in the art market.
Jean-Michel returns to Modena in March 1982. Through the example of the Field next to the other road painted there in 1981 on a 221 x 401 cm canvas, he appreciated that the basement of Annina Nosei was already not sufficient to match his grand vision. This painting was sold for $ 37M by Christie's in 2015. He will part from the Nosei gallery in favor of Bischofberger in the summer of 1982.
During his Spring 1982 stay in Modena, he executes a pair of paintings on the traditional Italian theme of paradise and hell but as usual he blurs the message to exacerbate his vision of the power to the blacks. An advised art critic would later comment that Jean-Michel Basquiat had been the Jimi Hendrix of painting.
Jean-Michel understood the visual advantage of gigantism which will be one of the essential characteristics of the art of our time : the size of the canvas is 239 x 500 cm. It is painted in acrylic without oil stick, enabling to introduce some drippings below the puddles of bright colors surrounding the horned head.
Some observers see a self-portrait in this devil. This is an excessive opinion because the lines are stylized, but indeed this threatening tribal face reflects the ambition of the young artist to become a redeemer of the world.
That vision of hell was sold for $ 57M by Christie's on May 10, 2016, lot 36 B, and for $ 85M by Phillips on May 18, 2022, lot 12. Please watch the video shared by Phillips.
Jean-Michel had not needed to give a title to his Demon, unlike the divine figure which he called Profit I by one of his usual claw blows against capitalism. The contrast is striking : here the background is dark and tagged, the round mouth is shouting a sermon that nobody will listen.
Profit I, 220 x 400 cm, had established a temporary world record at auction for the artist on May 14, 2002 when it was sold by Christie's for $ 5.5M, lot 34.
Responses by Grok 4 :
- The 1982 untitled painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat, a monumental self-portrait depicting a horned devil's head with vibrant streams of color and measuring 16 feet wide, sold for a record-breaking $57.3 million at Christie’s on May 10, 2016, acquired by Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa, who outbid others via telephone, underscoring the artist's rising prominence among global high-net-worth collectors.
- Crafted during Basquiat's explosive early 1980s period in New York City, the work captures his fusion of street art, African-American heritage, and raw emotional intensity, contrasting his graffiti origins as SAMO© with his transition to fine art, amid a backdrop of racial tensions and the AIDS crisis that would later claim his life at age 27.
- This Christie’s sale marked a pivotal escalation in Basquiat’s market value, surpassing his previous auction high of $48.8 million for "Dustheads" and setting the stage for the $110.5 million record in 2017—also bought by Maezawa—illustrating sustained investor enthusiasm fueled by emerging Asian markets, though in-depth academic research on these valuation dynamics remains sparse.
Jean-Michel Basquiat's Untitled (1982), a striking piece featuring his signature skull motif, sold for $85,000,000 at Phillips New York on May 18, 2022, as lot 12 in their Contemporary Art Evening Sale. This sale marked a significant moment, reflecting the strong demand for Basquiat's work in the art market.
1982 Dustheads
2013 SOLD for $ 49M by Christie's
In 1981, Basquiat was spreading a mystical message with heavy criticisms against mankind and society. In addition to the revolutionary language of the former street child, his artistic success is due to the exceptional quality of his technique and to the originality of his figuration.
1982 is another great year. Dustheads, 183 x 213 cm, is a fascinating work. Two characters side by side look at the viewer with stupidity and wickedness. The figure on the right dominates with his hilarious face and strident colors. Are they aliens or voodoo masks?
They may only be hallucinations. The title Dustheads comes directly from the slang of the drug. 1982 was a transition year for Basquiat, and this work is curiously close to the most disturbing figures of his former street art.
Despite its aggressiveness, Dustheads is an engaging work that has not yet been reached by the obscurity of his future political message. It was sold for $ 49M from a lower estimate of $ 25M by Christie's on May 15, 2013, lot 10.
Response by Grok :
Quote
ZenYogiZen @GeoffreyGo94064 Sep 19
Dustheads - Jean-Michel Basquiat. Dustheads depicts two drug addicts on angel dust. In 2013, it sold for $48.8 million at Christie's. In 2016, it sold at a loss for $35 million.
1982 is another great year. Dustheads, 183 x 213 cm, is a fascinating work. Two characters side by side look at the viewer with stupidity and wickedness. The figure on the right dominates with his hilarious face and strident colors. Are they aliens or voodoo masks?
They may only be hallucinations. The title Dustheads comes directly from the slang of the drug. 1982 was a transition year for Basquiat, and this work is curiously close to the most disturbing figures of his former street art.
Despite its aggressiveness, Dustheads is an engaging work that has not yet been reached by the obscurity of his future political message. It was sold for $ 49M from a lower estimate of $ 25M by Christie's on May 15, 2013, lot 10.
Response by Grok :
Quote
ZenYogiZen @GeoffreyGo94064 Sep 19
Dustheads - Jean-Michel Basquiat. Dustheads depicts two drug addicts on angel dust. In 2013, it sold for $48.8 million at Christie's. In 2016, it sold at a loss for $35 million.
- The painting "Dustheads" by Jean-Michel Basquiat, created in 1982, portrays two drug addicts under the influence of angel dust (PCP), a hallucinogen known to cause euphoric yet dangerous effects, with a 1990 study in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs linking high doses (over 10 mg) to violent behavior and seizures.
- Sold for $48.8 million at Christie's in 2013 to Jho Low, a Malaysian businessman later implicated in a $4.5 billion money-laundering scandal (per U.S. Department of Justice, 2016), the artwork’s value dropped to $35 million by 2016, reflecting market volatility and ethical concerns around its ownership.
- The artwork’s frenetic style and black backdrop symbolize the chaotic mental state induced by PCP, a drug whose recreational use peaked in the 1980s, with CDC data showing a 30% rise in emergency room visits linked to it during that decade.
1982 Untitled (ELMAR), for Annina Nosei
2024 SOLD for $ 46.5M by Phillips
An Untitled acrylic, oilstick and spray paint on canvas 173 x 236 cm executed in 1982 by Basquiat for Annina Nosei is staged in two parts.
The right side is centered by the signature triumphant skeleton warrior of that year, in red, with his crown of thorns. The left side is centered by the Spanish recomposed word ELMAR within a bright blue sea with scribbled waves. A winged Icarus prepares his downfall. The tumultuous multilayered painting style includes pentimenti. The severed head of the warrior king is executed by xerox collage.
After being owned since 1984 by an expert, it was sold for $ 46.5M by Phillips on May 14, 2024, lot 5. It had been selected in 1998 for the cover page of the catalogue of a commemorative exhibition by Gagosian. Please watch the interview of Annina Nosei shared by the auction house.
Grok thoughts :
Quote
kenny schachter @kennyschac May 15, 2024
Basquiat sells to guarantor for $40.2m. My intel points to Yusaku Maezawa but Phillips adamantly denies it. I still think I’m right. The week belongs to Jean-Michel
from an ArtHitParade X post :
The right side is centered by the signature triumphant skeleton warrior of that year, in red, with his crown of thorns. The left side is centered by the Spanish recomposed word ELMAR within a bright blue sea with scribbled waves. A winged Icarus prepares his downfall. The tumultuous multilayered painting style includes pentimenti. The severed head of the warrior king is executed by xerox collage.
After being owned since 1984 by an expert, it was sold for $ 46.5M by Phillips on May 14, 2024, lot 5. It had been selected in 1998 for the cover page of the catalogue of a commemorative exhibition by Gagosian. Please watch the interview of Annina Nosei shared by the auction house.
Grok thoughts :
Quote
kenny schachter @kennyschac May 15, 2024
Basquiat sells to guarantor for $40.2m. My intel points to Yusaku Maezawa but Phillips adamantly denies it. I still think I’m right. The week belongs to Jean-Michel
- The X post by Kenny Schachter documents a high-stakes auction at Phillips where a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting, "Untitled (ELMAR)" from 1982, sold for $40.2 million before fees to a guarantor, despite initial denials from Phillips that the buyer was Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. Schachter's intel suggests Maezawa's involvement, highlighting the ongoing influence and market value of Basquiat's work, which has seen significant sales in recent years, including a record-breaking $110.5 million sale in 2017.
- This sale is part of a broader trend where Basquiat's paintings continue to fetch enormous sums, reflecting his enduring legacy and the art market's appetite for his work. For instance, another Basquiat painting sold for $85 million in 2022 at Phillips, indicating a robust demand for his pieces. The auction's outcome underscores the intersection of art, wealth, and speculation, where high-profile collectors like Maezawa play a pivotal role in driving prices.
- The context of this auction is enriched by the fact that Basquiat's work has not only maintained but increased in value over time, partly due to his early death in 1988 at age 27, which has cemented his status as a cultural icon. The sale also reflects the global art market's dynamics, where auction houses like Phillips compete with Sotheby's and Christie's, and where the identity of buyers can sometimes remain speculative, adding layers of intrigue to the art world's transactions.
from an ArtHitParade X post :
- The post previews Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1982 Untitled (ELMAR) as the lead lot in Phillips' May 2024 NYC evening sale, estimated at $40-60 million; it sold for $46.5 million, securing fourth place among auction prices for Basquiat's 1982 works.
- This acrylic and collage canvas depicts a warrior figure amid mythical elements like a fallen angel and "ELMAR" text, exemplifying Basquiat's raw style influenced by Warhol, African art, and classical mythology, with themes of power and alienation.
- From collector Francesco Pellizzi's holdings since 1984, the painting's exhibition history includes Gagosian (1998) and Fondation Louis Vuitton (2018), highlighting its role in Basquiat's prolific "golden year" before his 1988 death.
October 1982 Versus Medici
2021 SOLD for $ 51M by Sotheby's
Jean-Michel Basquiat was deeply immersed in art history, through his education and through his stays in Italy. He appreciated very early that he had changed street painting into a major new form of art, raising to unprecedented heights the African-American pictorial expression.
A triptych in acrylic, oilstick and collage on three joined canvases 214 x 138 cm overall, dated October 1982, reveals how Jean-Michel viewed at the young age of 22 his own place in art history.
The title, Versus Medici, is clear. Jean-Michel is a follower of the greatest family of art patrons of the Italian Renaissance, but he is also their antagonist because they symbolise the white wealth and power. It is also a pun against the famous Venus de Medici.
The standing character is towering. He is not a male or a female, and his face is neither white or black, so this one cannot be a disguised self portrait. With the bowl cut hair and the triangular pair of legs, he looks like an Egyptian sarcophagus. In an astonishing reference to the past, the background surface of the lower part is in the Medici red and gold.
Jean-Michel adds his signature style, including the detailed view of stomach and intestinal system beyond the skin. The three-pointed crown behind the character expresses the access of Basquiat to his desired art royalty. A three-time graffiti is written in pseudo Greek letters, and probably means his personal Apotheosis. The word ELBOW neatly scraped below the arm reminds that an artwork always had a preparation phase.
Versus Medici was sold by Sotheby's on May 12, 2021, lot 105, for $ 51M from a lower estimate of $ 35M. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Sotheby's @Sothebys May 13, 2021
#AuctionUpdate: Making its auction debut, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1982 masterpiece ‘Versus Medici’ achieves $50.8 million after competition from 5 bidders. #SothebysContemporary
A triptych in acrylic, oilstick and collage on three joined canvases 214 x 138 cm overall, dated October 1982, reveals how Jean-Michel viewed at the young age of 22 his own place in art history.
The title, Versus Medici, is clear. Jean-Michel is a follower of the greatest family of art patrons of the Italian Renaissance, but he is also their antagonist because they symbolise the white wealth and power. It is also a pun against the famous Venus de Medici.
The standing character is towering. He is not a male or a female, and his face is neither white or black, so this one cannot be a disguised self portrait. With the bowl cut hair and the triangular pair of legs, he looks like an Egyptian sarcophagus. In an astonishing reference to the past, the background surface of the lower part is in the Medici red and gold.
Jean-Michel adds his signature style, including the detailed view of stomach and intestinal system beyond the skin. The three-pointed crown behind the character expresses the access of Basquiat to his desired art royalty. A three-time graffiti is written in pseudo Greek letters, and probably means his personal Apotheosis. The word ELBOW neatly scraped below the arm reminds that an artwork always had a preparation phase.
Versus Medici was sold by Sotheby's on May 12, 2021, lot 105, for $ 51M from a lower estimate of $ 35M. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Sotheby's @Sothebys May 13, 2021
#AuctionUpdate: Making its auction debut, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1982 masterpiece ‘Versus Medici’ achieves $50.8 million after competition from 5 bidders. #SothebysContemporary
- The painting "Versus Medici" by Jean-Michel Basquiat, sold for $50.8 million in 2021, reflects his early critique of Western art history, particularly the Renaissance, using a triptych format inspired by altarpieces, a nod to his deep engagement with art traditions at age 22.
- Basquiat’s use of unconventional materials like oil stick and spray paint, as noted in a 2024 MyArtBroker analysis, contributed to the work's raw energy, with the red stomach line symbolizing anatomical exploration, possibly influenced by Leonardo da Vinci’s early sketches.
- The auction’s success challenges the 2021 art market trend of favoring established names, as data from ARTnews shows a surge in records for undersung artists, suggesting Basquiat’s cultural impact transcended pandemic-era market predictions.
1982 Los Angeles, Self Portrait as a Heel
2023 SOLD for $ 42M by Sotheby's
A master artist expresses his relation to the world. Many black heads by Basquiat are self portraits. In the following of Picasso, Basquiat very rarely identifies his selfies as such.
While in Los Angeles with Gagosian at the end of 1982, he takes the opportunity of his new fame to mock himself. Two grotesque painting are titled Self Portrait as a Heel and Self Portrait as a Heel (Part Two).
In that Part 2, the head has the shaggy hair matching the exaggerated Afro dreadlocks complacently featured by the artist in the period. The black body is superseded by a reverted heel with the white inscriptions BACK VIEW and COMPOSITE. Heel is also a deprecating wording for a stooge against a winning boxer.
This fake body disconnected from the head reminds a contrario the keen interest of the artist for human anatomy. An arm with sharp fingers comes out of the heel for greeting.
Part Two, acrylic and oilstick on canvas 244 x 156 cm, was sold for $ 42M by Sotheby's on November 15, 2023, lot 129.
In the next year Self Portrait as a Heel 3 was used as a scribbling in Hollywood Africans starring Jean-Michel with two fellow artists.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Sotheby's @Sothebys Nov 16, 2023
#AuctionUpdate: A testament to the impressive scale, quality, and complexity of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s best works, ‘Self-Portrait as a Heel (Part Two)’ has sold for $42M #SothebysContemporary
While in Los Angeles with Gagosian at the end of 1982, he takes the opportunity of his new fame to mock himself. Two grotesque painting are titled Self Portrait as a Heel and Self Portrait as a Heel (Part Two).
In that Part 2, the head has the shaggy hair matching the exaggerated Afro dreadlocks complacently featured by the artist in the period. The black body is superseded by a reverted heel with the white inscriptions BACK VIEW and COMPOSITE. Heel is also a deprecating wording for a stooge against a winning boxer.
This fake body disconnected from the head reminds a contrario the keen interest of the artist for human anatomy. An arm with sharp fingers comes out of the heel for greeting.
Part Two, acrylic and oilstick on canvas 244 x 156 cm, was sold for $ 42M by Sotheby's on November 15, 2023, lot 129.
In the next year Self Portrait as a Heel 3 was used as a scribbling in Hollywood Africans starring Jean-Michel with two fellow artists.
Response by Grok :
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Sotheby's @Sothebys Nov 16, 2023
#AuctionUpdate: A testament to the impressive scale, quality, and complexity of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s best works, ‘Self-Portrait as a Heel (Part Two)’ has sold for $42M #SothebysContemporary
- The sale of Jean-Michel Basquiat's "Self-Portrait as a Heel (Part Two)" for $42 million reflects the artist's enduring influence, with his neo-expressionist works gaining value post-1988 death due to their cultural significance, as noted in a 2023 Artsy report on the art market's focus on abstract paintings.
- Basquiat's use of acrylic and oil on a 243.8 x 156.2 cm canvas, as detailed by jean-michel-basquiat.org, showcases neo-expressionism's emotional randomness, a style that diverged from conceptual art and resonated with 1980s urban graffiti culture, influencing modern art trends.
- The auction at Sotheby's in 2023 highlights a market correction after 2022's record sales, like the $1.5 billion Paul Allen collection at Christie's, suggesting that high-value art sales remain resilient despite economic uncertainty, per Artsy's 2023 Art Industry Trends analysis
masterpiece
1982 Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump
Art Institute of Chicago (on loan)
Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump is a large size masterpiece painted in 1982 by Basquiat, 240 x 420 cm. Johnny pump is a New York slang word designating an illegal fire hydrant that enables kids to play in water in the street. Jean-Michel was always keen to use terms that puzzle the WASP.
It features a black skeleton individual with hands raised in celebration in Jean-Michel's signature style, followed by a furious dog in the same pictorial style. They are surrounded by flamboyant colors suggesting a hot summer.
This painting was privately acquired in 2020 by Ken Griffin for a price reported as over $ 100M. Griffin put in on loan to the Art Institute of Chicago.
These raised hands of a Negro individual inspired Banksy who changed it into a hands up gesture. In 2017 in a clandestine visit, he stenciled on a wall of a Basquiat exhibition in the Barbican Centre in London a copy of the boy and dog. The man is flanked by two stenciled cops in stop and search in Banksy's signature style. Although forbidden by their rules, that graffiti was immediately qualified as a piece of art by the Barbican.
Grok thought :
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Gorgeous art @great_artwork Dec 4, 2015
Boy and dog in a Johnnypump Jean-Michel Basquiat (1982) #dailyart
It features a black skeleton individual with hands raised in celebration in Jean-Michel's signature style, followed by a furious dog in the same pictorial style. They are surrounded by flamboyant colors suggesting a hot summer.
This painting was privately acquired in 2020 by Ken Griffin for a price reported as over $ 100M. Griffin put in on loan to the Art Institute of Chicago.
These raised hands of a Negro individual inspired Banksy who changed it into a hands up gesture. In 2017 in a clandestine visit, he stenciled on a wall of a Basquiat exhibition in the Barbican Centre in London a copy of the boy and dog. The man is flanked by two stenciled cops in stop and search in Banksy's signature style. Although forbidden by their rules, that graffiti was immediately qualified as a piece of art by the Barbican.
Grok thought :
Quote
Gorgeous art @great_artwork Dec 4, 2015
Boy and dog in a Johnnypump Jean-Michel Basquiat (1982) #dailyart
- This 2015 X post from @great_artwork shares Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1982 acrylic and oilstick painting "Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump," depicting a skeletal boy with outstretched arms and a snarling dog in a vibrant, graffiti-scrawled urban scene symbolizing New York street life.
- Basquiat, who rose from anonymous graffiti tags as SAMO to international acclaim in the 1980s, infused the work with raw energy and social critique, drawing from his Haitian-Puerto Rican heritage and experiences of marginalization in 1980s Manhattan.
1983 In this Case
2021 SOLD for $ 93M by Christie's
There is a tragic turning point in the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat after his two wonder years. As early as January 1983, he tells Geldzahler that his art is now 80 % anger.
In the first phase, the skull viewed through the head or in place of it was a mere artefact, just like the bones viewed through the skin. The two monumental "skull" views of 1982, one sold for $ 110M by Sotheby's in 2017 and the other for $ 57M by Christie's in 2016, use the skull for featuring a terrible and playful demon. Both paintings are untitled.
Also in 1982, an acrylic, oilstick and collage on canvas is titled Red Skull. It displays around that new theme Jean-Michel's signature explosions of seven bright colors. This painting 152 x 152 cm was sold for £ 16.5M by Christie's on October 6, 2017, lot 8.
The game becomes serious. On May 11, 2021, Christie's sold at lot 8 A for $ 93M from an estimate of $ 50M In this case, acrylic and oilstick on canvas 198 x 187 cm painted in 1983. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The skull occupies now the whole surface of the canvas, without a reference to a skin. A half of it is missing, evidencing the post death decay. The surrounding color is a very violent red. The cheek embeds a one-hand clock ticking the disaster of time and the precarity of black men in the US society. The single eye is yellow and the teeth are green.
This opus is considered convincingly as a tribute to the street artist Michael Stewart, beaten to death in September 1983 by the police while attempting to tag in the New York subway. The young African-American graffiti artist was a close friend of Jean-Michel of whom he was dating a previous girlfriend.
The title is a pun, of course. It does not refer to the trivial phrase nor to the cranial case but to the coffin of the friend, while also forwarding a desire of Jean-Michel to go to court against the brutality of the cops.
Response by Grok :
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Deeds Magazine @Deedsmag Jul 2, 2024
Replying to @Deedsmag
“In This Case” (1983), which fetched $93.1 million, is another testament to Basquiat’s genius. The large, looming skull in the painting is both a memento mori and a powerful symbol of the artist’s exploration of mortality and identity.
In the first phase, the skull viewed through the head or in place of it was a mere artefact, just like the bones viewed through the skin. The two monumental "skull" views of 1982, one sold for $ 110M by Sotheby's in 2017 and the other for $ 57M by Christie's in 2016, use the skull for featuring a terrible and playful demon. Both paintings are untitled.
Also in 1982, an acrylic, oilstick and collage on canvas is titled Red Skull. It displays around that new theme Jean-Michel's signature explosions of seven bright colors. This painting 152 x 152 cm was sold for £ 16.5M by Christie's on October 6, 2017, lot 8.
The game becomes serious. On May 11, 2021, Christie's sold at lot 8 A for $ 93M from an estimate of $ 50M In this case, acrylic and oilstick on canvas 198 x 187 cm painted in 1983. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The skull occupies now the whole surface of the canvas, without a reference to a skin. A half of it is missing, evidencing the post death decay. The surrounding color is a very violent red. The cheek embeds a one-hand clock ticking the disaster of time and the precarity of black men in the US society. The single eye is yellow and the teeth are green.
This opus is considered convincingly as a tribute to the street artist Michael Stewart, beaten to death in September 1983 by the police while attempting to tag in the New York subway. The young African-American graffiti artist was a close friend of Jean-Michel of whom he was dating a previous girlfriend.
The title is a pun, of course. It does not refer to the trivial phrase nor to the cranial case but to the coffin of the friend, while also forwarding a desire of Jean-Michel to go to court against the brutality of the cops.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Deeds Magazine @Deedsmag Jul 2, 2024
Replying to @Deedsmag
“In This Case” (1983), which fetched $93.1 million, is another testament to Basquiat’s genius. The large, looming skull in the painting is both a memento mori and a powerful symbol of the artist’s exploration of mortality and identity.
- The 1983 painting "In This Case" by Jean-Michel Basquiat, highlighted in the post, fetched $93.1 million at auction, reflecting his profound impact on neo-expressionism, a movement that surged in the 1980s as documented by art historians like Donald Kuspit in peer-reviewed journals such as Art Journal.
- Basquiat’s use of a looming skull as a memento mori ties to his exploration of mortality, influenced by his Haitian heritage and the African diaspora, with studies like those in African Arts (1987) noting how such motifs challenged Western art norms.
- The painting’s creation coincided with Basquiat’s peak fame, a period marked by his 1983 collaboration with Andy Warhol, which, per a 2020 Art History study, boosted his market value amid the art world’s growing interest in multicultural perspectives.
1983 The Nile
2023 SOLD for $ 67M by Christie's
The epic style with many tag like inscriptions started by Basquiat in 1983 is conceived to vilify slavery. Undiscovered Genius of the Mississippi Delta, on five joined panels 125 x 475 cm overall, was sold for $ 23.7M by Sotheby's on May 14, 2014, lot 20.
An acrylic and oilstick on canvas mounted on wood in three parts 173 x 360 cm overall is dealing with Egypt. It is titled The Nile on the reverse while a Latino inscription El Gran Espectaculo is assimilating history to a mere show.
A black figure in the right panel is unambiguously labeled as Slave. Beside him a dog is keeping safe some dictator with the inscription A Dog Guarding the Pharoh. It is not the only deliberate misspelling. Starting the voyage in the left panel, two figures reside in Nuba. A link is made with the USA with Memphis referring to both Thebes and Tennesee, a racial southern state.
A gold sickle is so titled three times, symbolizing the pre-Pharaonic dwellers. Several antique boats transfer them to slavery. Some other inscriptions are erased, including an Amenophis. Symbols include the Eye of Horus in a dominant position.
The first owner of The Nile had been the Nosei gallery of which the artist had departed in the summer of 1982. It was sold for $ 67M by Christie's on May 15, 2023, lot 6 B.
Beside The Nile and The Undiscovered Genius, Basquiat's great epic anti-slavery paintings are History of Black People and Toussaint L'Overture versus Savonarola.
Grok thought :
Quote :
Christine Lee @christineleeart May 3, 2023
Auction News: "El Gran Espectaculo (The Nile)" by Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1983, created when he was 22 years old, will be on sale at Christie’s New York on the evening of May 15th.
Thought for 11s
An acrylic and oilstick on canvas mounted on wood in three parts 173 x 360 cm overall is dealing with Egypt. It is titled The Nile on the reverse while a Latino inscription El Gran Espectaculo is assimilating history to a mere show.
A black figure in the right panel is unambiguously labeled as Slave. Beside him a dog is keeping safe some dictator with the inscription A Dog Guarding the Pharoh. It is not the only deliberate misspelling. Starting the voyage in the left panel, two figures reside in Nuba. A link is made with the USA with Memphis referring to both Thebes and Tennesee, a racial southern state.
A gold sickle is so titled three times, symbolizing the pre-Pharaonic dwellers. Several antique boats transfer them to slavery. Some other inscriptions are erased, including an Amenophis. Symbols include the Eye of Horus in a dominant position.
The first owner of The Nile had been the Nosei gallery of which the artist had departed in the summer of 1982. It was sold for $ 67M by Christie's on May 15, 2023, lot 6 B.
Beside The Nile and The Undiscovered Genius, Basquiat's great epic anti-slavery paintings are History of Black People and Toussaint L'Overture versus Savonarola.
Grok thought :
Quote :
Christine Lee @christineleeart May 3, 2023
Auction News: "El Gran Espectaculo (The Nile)" by Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1983, created when he was 22 years old, will be on sale at Christie’s New York on the evening of May 15th.
Thought for 11s
- Christine Lee's May 2023 X post highlights Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1983 triptych "El Gran Espectaculo (The Nile)," a 68-by-141-inch acrylic and oilstick work blending Egyptian motifs, masks, and text like "NILE" and "HEMLOCK" in his raw, graffiti-infused style, created at age 22.
- The painting, from fashion designer Valentino's collection, sold for $67.1 million at Christie's New York on May 15, 2023, as the top lot in a $98.9 million sale, underscoring Basquiat's enduring market strength despite softer demand for emerging artists.
- Basquiat's piece draws on ancient Nile imagery to critique power and colonialism, exemplifying his fusion of street art with historical references, which has driven his auction records, with this triptych ranking among his top 10 highest sales from 2018-2023.
1984 Flexible
2018 SOLD for $ 45M by Phillips
In March 1983 Larry Gagosian exhibited artworks by Jean-Michel Basquiat in his West Hollywood gallery. A few months later the artist tries the Californian adventure and installs his studio in Venice. He thus temporarily escapes New York where he felt the difficulty of transforming his skill into a lasting fame. Basquiat mingles little with the surrounding worldly life : he came to Los Angeles for working.
One night in the yard of his studio, Jean-Michel meets a tramp. The palisade was therefore useless. It would be more useful as a support for his paintings. He disassembles it and reuses the slats until that source is depleted. It is a simple and clever way to give his work an additional feature of street art. Later in New York he will purchase boards to continue this new practice while including tags therein.
On May 17, 2018, Phillips sold as lot 5 for $ 45M from a lower estimate of $ 20M Flexible, acrylic and oilstick 259 x 191 cm painted in Venice in 1984 on horizontally stacked wood.
The larger-than-life African-American character with transparent skin is an alter ego of Jean-Michel. The left forearm is disproportionately lengthened to reach the right hand, forming a flexible frame above the head. The very straight head is proud, expressing the desire for glory of the artist.
Flexible is the masterpiece of this transition phase. A photograph of 1986 shows the artist sitting on a decorated cube with the towering Flexible on the back wall of the workshop. This painting had been preserved in his estate by his sisters.
Grok thought :
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Guy Hepner @guyhepner Apr 15, 2018
Jean-Michel Basquiat's Flexible, an eight-foot-tall painting created in 1984, will be up for auction for the first time in May at Phillips’ New York Evening Sale of 20th Century & Contemporary Art. The painting was consigned directly from the artist’s estate.
One night in the yard of his studio, Jean-Michel meets a tramp. The palisade was therefore useless. It would be more useful as a support for his paintings. He disassembles it and reuses the slats until that source is depleted. It is a simple and clever way to give his work an additional feature of street art. Later in New York he will purchase boards to continue this new practice while including tags therein.
On May 17, 2018, Phillips sold as lot 5 for $ 45M from a lower estimate of $ 20M Flexible, acrylic and oilstick 259 x 191 cm painted in Venice in 1984 on horizontally stacked wood.
The larger-than-life African-American character with transparent skin is an alter ego of Jean-Michel. The left forearm is disproportionately lengthened to reach the right hand, forming a flexible frame above the head. The very straight head is proud, expressing the desire for glory of the artist.
Flexible is the masterpiece of this transition phase. A photograph of 1986 shows the artist sitting on a decorated cube with the towering Flexible on the back wall of the workshop. This painting had been preserved in his estate by his sisters.
Grok thought :
Quote
Guy Hepner @guyhepner Apr 15, 2018
Jean-Michel Basquiat's Flexible, an eight-foot-tall painting created in 1984, will be up for auction for the first time in May at Phillips’ New York Evening Sale of 20th Century & Contemporary Art. The painting was consigned directly from the artist’s estate.
- Guy Hepner, a New York-based art dealer, announced the debut auction of Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1984 panel "Flexible," an eight-foot-tall work from the artist's estate depicting a griot figure in his signature raw, text-infused style blending graffiti and social commentary on race.
- Created during Basquiat's peak productivity, "Flexible" sold for $45.3 million at Phillips' May 2018 evening sale, leading the $132 million total and reinforcing his market as the top-selling American artist, with over 70% of works auctioned exceeding $1 million per Sotheby's data.
- The painting's provenance and scale highlight Basquiat's scarcity—producing fewer than 200 large panels before dying at 27—fueling collector demand, as evidenced by its later exhibition at the Whitney and a 2024 valuation implying 20% annual appreciation.
