Sotheby’s is set to auction a $35 million USD-estimated Jean-Michel Basquiatartwork in the coming months. If sold, the piece will be one of the few most expensive works by the artist.
The work is a 1982 painting titled Versus Medici that reflects a point where Basquiat was influenced by his time in Modena, Italy. As the title suggests, the artwork references the Renaissance-era Medici family, and it boasts a handful of signature motifs from the artist: a skeleton, a crown and scribbled words, to mention a few. Versus Medici was painted when the artist was just 22 years old — his paintings from 1982 are the most valuable in the market.
Sotheby’s New York Head of Contemporary Art Grégoire Billault offered some context to the artwork in a statement: “In Versus Medici, Basquiat melds the political and art-historical as he consciously stages a reckoning with the Westernized ideal of visual culture and was intent on mastering and commandeering the accepted ‘rules’ of art history in order to break them.”
Sotheby’s Jean-Michel Basquiat Versus Medici auction will be on May 12.
In February, Christie’s Hong Kong announced that it will be listing Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1982 painting, entitled Warrior, up for auction as part of its Global Spring Season of 20th Century sales. The artwork portrays a bold, anatomical subject brandishing a sword and shield with made with forceful lines alongside blue and yellow color blocking in the backdrop. With this mixed-media piece on wood panel, Basquiat wanted to “symbolize the struggles of Black men in a white-dominated world,” as per The New York Times.
Warrior recently sold for $41.9 million USD with fees, becoming the most expensive Western artwork ever sold at auction in Asia. Having an initial pre-sale estimate between $31-$41 million USD, Warrior was offered unconventionally as a single lot and led the live-streamed evening sale which also included several old masterworks including a rediscovered portrait by Vincent van Gogh entitled La Mousmé. The sale is a milestone for the Western art market in Asia and follows the auction house’s continued success from previous auctions especially in London and New York that realized $61,139,818 USD in total value.
“Basquiat is one of the strongest markets coming out of the pandemic,” said Christophe van de Weghe, a dealer who specializes in Basquiats told the Times. “It’s worldwide. You can sell Basquiat, like Picasso, to someone in India or Kazakhstan or Mexico. You can have a 28-year-old spending millions on Basquiat and you can have a guy who is 85. He appeals to all kinds of people, from rappers to hedge-fund guys.”
Get a closer look at Basquiat’s Warrior above and then head to Christie’s website for more information on the sale.
Next month, Christie’s is offering a selection of works that showcases the collector’s passion for New York artists in an auction called “A New York State of Mind: An Important Private Collection.” The sale will highlight leading Abstract Expressionist artists such as Joan Mitchell and Helen Frankenthaler, as well as prominent New York Neo-Expressionist artists, like Jean-Michel Basquiat and David Salle.
Leading the private sale is Basquiat’s 1984 work titled MP. Expected to fetch up to $6 million USD, the portrait depicts Michael Patterson, the artist’s friend from the vibrant nightlife scene of 1980s New York, on an off-white background adorned with xeroxed sheets of text, symbols and drawings. MP marks the cultural moment in which the two of them met and immortalizes Patterson as a regal presence. Rare among Basquiat’s works in depicting a subject from life, the portrait is also special in its ability to capture personality and character.
Another highlight from “A New York State of Mind” includes Mitchell’s Untitled work from 1958 to 1959. The piece demonstrates Mitchell’s painterly language from the mid-50s and was created during a creative period when she took her place at the forefront of the New York School. “From the lyricism of Joan Mitchell’s New York period, to the electricity of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s downtown art scene, this collection captures the unrelenting energy and beauty of New York City,” says Johanna Flaum, Head of Department, Post-War and Contemporary Art.
Christie’s will offer “A New York State of Mind: An Important Private Collection” across its 20th Century Evening Sale on October 6 and its Day Sales on October 7.
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