''Untitled'' is a painting created by American artist
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat (; December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement.
Basquiat first achieved fame as part of the graffiti duo SAMO, alongside Al ...
in 1981. The artwork, which depicts a
fisherman displaying his catch hanging at the end of a line, sold for $26.4 million at
Christie's
Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...
in November 2012.
History
Jean-Michel Basquiat painted ''Untitled'' in 1981, a pivotal year when he transitioned from
street art
Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art.
Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant graff ...
ist into the adulation of the New York
art scene. He worked in the basement of
Annina Nosei Annina Nosei (born 1939) is an Italian-born art dealer and gallerist. Nosei is best known for being Jean-Michel Basquiat’s first art dealer and providing him with studio space in the basement of her gallery. From 1981 to 2006, the Annina Nosei Gal ...
's gallery in
SoHo where ''Untitled'' was executed. The artwork depicts a fisherman wearing a
crown of thorns and a halo of the same nature. He is standing at the center of the canvas proudly displays his catch, a large fish hanging at the end of a fishing rod. His black body reveals a white skeletal figure.
The painting had previously been
auctioned in 1988, a few months after Basquiat's death, and sold for $110,000.
Sold by fashion photographer
Patrick Demarchelier in 2012, it was anticipated to break records before its auction in 2012. Loic Gouzer, international specialist of
post-war
In Western usage, the phrase post-war era (or postwar era) usually refers to the time since the end of World War II. More broadly, a post-war period (or postwar period) is the interval immediately following the end of a war. A post-war period c ...
and
contemporary art at Christie's said in a statement: "In contrast to most artists, Basquiat created his best paintings at the beginning of his career. ''Untitled'' 1981 unites all the elements of energy, freedom and boldness that one looks for in Basquiat. The market has been waiting a long time for a work of this caliber and freshness, therefore we expect it to set a new record for Basquiat, an artist who is in the process of being recognized as a classic of Post-War American Art alongside
Warhol
Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the Art movement, visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore th ...
,
De Kooning and
Pollock."
The painting lived up to the pre-sale hype, selling for $26.4 million in November 2012. The sale exceeded Basquiat's previous record of $20.1 million for another ''Untitled'' (1981) sold in June 2012. That record has since been surpassed by multiple other paintings. His current record high at auction is
''Untitled'' (1982), which sold for $110.5 million at
Sotheby's in May 2017.
Exhibitions
The painting has been exhibited at the following art institutions:
* ''Jean-Michel Basquiat'' at
Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, October 1992–February 1993; The
Menil Collection in Houston, March–May 1993;
Des Moines Art Center in Iowa, May–August 1993;
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts
The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts is a museum located in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, featuring several art collections. The permanent collection includes examples of 19th- and 20th-century American paintings and sculpture, Southern regional art, Ol ...
in Alabama, November 1993–January 1994.
* ''Basquiat'' at
Fondation Beyeler
The Beyeler Foundation or Fondation Beyeler with its museum in Riehen, near Basel ( Switzerland), owns and oversees the art collection of Hildy and Ernst Beyeler, which features modern and traditional art. The Beyeler Foundation museum includes a ...
in Switzerland, May–September 2010;
Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, October 2010–January 2011.
See also
*
List of paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat
The following is a list of significant artworks by the American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988), who played a historic role in the rise of street art and neo-expressionism.
During his short yet productive career, Basquiat created more t ...
References
{{Jean-Michel Basquiat
Paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat
1981 paintings
Fish in art