Attributes: Signed,stamps on verso and attributed to Jean-Michel Basquiat - Media: Oil on paperboard - Condition: Good condition, thin coating of dirt - Provenance: Private collection, South America - Dimensions (cm): 31 by 23.5 - Dimensions (inches): 12 1/4 by 9 1/4 - Biography: Jean-Michel Basquiat, one of the first African American artists to reach international stature and wealth in the art world, had a short but impactful career. His rise to fame came quickly, as he was celebrated for his fusion of multicultural symbols, biting social commentary, and distinctive graphic style. Born in Brooklyn, NY, Basquiat drew and visited museums regularly from an early age, and many of his childhood interests-ranging from cartoons and Alfred Hitchcock films to anatomy and French and Spanish textbooks-would prove influential in his later work. Basquiat dropped out of school at the age of 17 and began creating art full time, gaining notoriety for his invented character SAMO (“Same Old Shitâ€), who made a living peddling “fake†religion. Basquiat depicted SAMO's signature in graffiti art with cryptic messages in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and began painting on found materials, buildings, t-shirts, and commercial items. He delved into the urban 1980s avant-garde culture of New York, creating wildly expressive paintings which earned him considerable acclaim by his first solo exhibition in 1982. In 1983 he befriended his idol, Andy Warhol, and the two collaborated on several projects. Basquiat combined African, Aztec, Hispanic, and ancient Roman and Greek imagery with his own invented iconography and graphic marks in works that emphasized the physical and the gestural aspects of the artistic process. Ever conscious of his identity as an African-American in the art world, Basquiat's work was rife with imagery commenting on race relations in America, and drawing from the culture of the African Diaspora. His prevalent drug use became a greater concern to his friends and colleagues in the mid-1980s, and the artist's fiery temper and capriciousness increased, particularly when working with dealers or developing his oeuvre. Warhol's death in 1987 deeply affected Basquiat, and he painted several final works in a frenzy, full of apocalyptic imagery but with a confident, mature style. He died of a drug overdose on August 12, 1988, ending a brief but highly influential life at the age of 27. As a testament to his lasting importance to the history of art, in 2016 his large canvas Untitled (1982) broke auction records with a final price of $57.3 million.

All lots that do not carry established documented provenance nor any past record of auction history record are described in the catalog as attributed. All authorship of items in this catalog are described according to the following terms: Signed [Artist Name] : In cases in which the signature is legible in the lot, this work is described as-is with no attributions given. By [Artist Name] : The work is by the artist. Attributed to [Artist Name] : The work may be ascribed to the artist on the basis of style, but there may be some question as to actual authorship. In the manner of [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but was designed deliberately to emulate the style of the artist. After [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but is a deliberate copy of a known work by the artist. Circle of [Artist Name] : A work of the period of the artist showing his influence, closely associated with the artist but not necessarily his pupil. Follower of [Artist Name]: A work by a pupil or a follower of the artist (not necessarily a pupil). American, 19th century : This work was executed by an unknown hand, and can only be identified by origin (i.e., region, period).