Jean-Michel Basquiat passed away in 1988 at the age of 27 but enjoyed a fast rise to prominence in the New York art world at an early age. He started out as a graffiti artist but his work matured rapidly as he met the right people to nurture his talent.
One of his paintings sold at auction this week for $110.5 million dollars, a record for an American artist.
The New York Times reported:
A Basquiat Sells for ‘Mind-Blowing’ $110.5 Million at AuctionJoining the rarefied $100 million-plus club in a salesroom punctuated by periodic gasps from the crowd, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s powerful 1982 painting of a skull brought $110.5 million at Sotheby’s, to become the sixth most expensive work ever sold at auction. Only 10 other works have broken the $100 million mark.“He’s now in the same league as Francis Bacon and Pablo Picasso,” said the dealer Jeffrey Deitch, an expert on Basquiat.The sale of the painting, “Untitled,” made for a thrilling moment at Sotheby’s postwar and contemporary auction as at least four bidders on the phones and in the room sailed past the $60 million level at which the work — forged from oil stick and spray paint — had been guaranteed to sell by a third party.Soon after the sustained applause had subsided, the Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa revealed himself to be the buyer through a post on his Instagram account. “I am happy to announce that I just won this masterpiece,” he said in the post. “When I first encountered this painting, I was struck with so much excitement and gratitude for my love of art. I want to share that experience with as many people as possible.”It was Mr. Maezawa, the 41-year-old founder of Contemporary Art Foundation, who last year set the previous auction high for Basquiat, paying $57.3 million for the artist’s large 1982 painting of a horned devil at Christie’s. Mr. Maezawa is also the founder of Japan’s large online fashion mall, Zozotown.
Here’s a short video report:
The sale caused lots of chatter on Twitter:
There is a 1996 biopic about Basquiat which is actually a very good movie. One of the best things about it is David Bowie’s portrayal of Andy Warhol who was a friend and mentor to the artist. Here’s the trailer:
Featured image via YouTube.
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