Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) - Untitled (Skull)...

Giclée impression by Jean-Michel Basquiat (*) Reproduction of the work “Untitled (Skull)” (**) a piece created by Basquiat in 1981. Deluxe edition on Monte Carlo high-grade watercolor paper (300 g/m2) Print authorized by Artestar New York. Copyright of the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Includes Certificate of Authenticity (COA). Specifications: - Support dimensions: 50 x 44 cm - Ink blot dimensions: 40 x 34 cm - Condition: Excellent (this work has never been framed or exhibited, and has always been kept in a professional art folder, so it is offered in perfect condition). The artwork will be carefully handled and packaged in reinforced cardboard. Shipping will be tracked with a certification number, operated by the leading transport companies (UPS DPD DHL FedEx). Shipping will also include full insurance for the final value of the artwork with full reimbursement in case of loss or damage, at no cost to the buyer. (*) Jean-Michel Basquiat was the eldest of the three children of Matilde Andrades and Gerard Basquiat. His father was a financially respectable Haitian accountant and his mother a Puerto Rican graphic designer of great prestige in her profession. Jean-Michel grew up in a fractured family environment; his parents divorced and, due to this, he had to change schools many times. He studied at a private Catholic school, later at a public school, and finally, at 16, he enrolled in City-As-School, a school for gifted teenagers, from which he was expelled for rebelliousness a year before graduating. Already in his youth he came into contact with the city’s subculture, linked to drug use and street gangs. In 1977, together with Al Díaz, he entered the world of graffiti, painting on subway cars and in SoHo, the New York neighborhood where art galleries proliferate. The following year he left school one course before graduating from high school and left home to live for two years on the streets, in abandoned buildings or with his friends in Lower Manhattan, surviving by selling postcards and T-shirts he decorated himself. He continued to dedicate himself to graffiti; his writings had a lot of poetic and philosophical charge, but above all, satirical. The pseudonym of his shared alter ego with Al Díaz was SAMO (short for “Same Old shit,” i.e., “the same old crap,” with which they signed their tags and graffiti with cryptic messages. The use of this name was decisive in his life. These murals carried inscriptions such as “SAMO saves idiots” or “SAMO ends religious brainwashing, the politics of nothing, and false philosophy.” An article about SAMO’s street writing published in The Village Voice was the first hint that the art world was taking notice of him. The artist had several relationships that influenced his work; one of the most significant was with artist Andy Warhol. Additionally, in terms of his romantic life, he connected with several women; one of the best known today was Madonna. Lower Manhattan was the area where they lived at that time, and in 1982 they began spending more time together and going to parties in galleries. A topic that united them: she mentions in an interview, “I was a big fan of Miles Davis and Charlie Parker.” In 1988 they held exhibitions in Paris and New York, and in April of that year he tried to overcome his addictions and moved to his home in Hawaii. He returned to New York in June, announcing that he had freed himself from his addictions, but on August 12, 1988, at 27 years old, he died of a heroin overdose, becoming the most successful visual artist in the history of African descent art. He is buried at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Throughout his brief but intense artistic career he would undertake more than 40 solo exhibitions and participate in around 100 group shows. Self-promotion and publicity were priority factors for Basquiat, as they had been for Andy Warhol or Julian Schnabel before him. Neo-expressionism came to dominate over appropriation, partly thanks to the economic vigor that raised art prices, especially painting, to high levels, and partly thanks to the support of gallery owners and collectors. However, critics were not unanimous in their assessment, and it was common to denounce the lack of theoretical basis in neo-expressionist discourse. It was stated that the art practiced by neo-expressionists lacked any political or social meaning, it was merely merchandise and, therefore, subject to the fluctuations of the market. Neo-expressionist painting was reduced to a consumer product and, as such, to a creatively disqualified and vulgar fact. (**) Basquiat began working on “Untitled” in early 1979. Unlike most of his pieces, which were completed with great profusion in a few days, Untitled remained unfinished for several months, as Basquiat delayed its completion. The art historian Fred Hoffman’s description alludes to a vision Basquiat may have conceived in the studio: “One can only speculate about the reasons for this hesitation, but several people close to the artist suspect that this young and inexperienced artist doubted finishing the work because it surprised him, possibly even frightened him, the force and energy emanating from this unexpected image.” “Untitled” represents the inner and outer dimensions of a head, existing between life and death. The eyes are apathetic, as if the head had been lobotomized. The subdued facial expression contrasts with the vibrant colors that suggest abundant internal activity. Basquiat’s use of heads and skulls is deeply rooted in his identity as an African American and evokes African masks. “He developed a unique style, combining expressive and sometimes violent brushstrokes with words, symbols, and various materials to address social issues.” The painting was presented as “Untitled” in Basquiat’s first American solo show, at Annina Nosei Gallery in 1982. When it was acquired a few months later, the word “Skull” was added to the title, which has accompanied it since then, through numerous exhibitions. Hoffman suggests that the title change was the result of confusing the work with the more traditional iconography of memento mori, in which a skull symbolizes death.

估價:$168.55

查看所有物品來自Catawiki或Arts & Graphics