Jean-Michel Basquiat

Annina Nosei Gallery, New York
Private Collection, Vaduz, Liechtenstein (acquired from the above in 1983)
Sotheby’s, New York, November 18, 1999, lot 93
Acquired by the present owner from the above sale

This work is in very good condition overall. The colors are vibrant and fresh. There are artist pinholes at the two upper corners. There are scattered charcoal smudges and light surface abrasions in the densely worked areas, much of which appears inherent to the artist's working method and the creative environment. There are some spot accretions to the left of the figure and one to the right of the word "Splenius." The edges of the sheet underneath the matte have yellowed very slightly and there is an extremely minor tear to the left center edge of the sheet under the matte. The sheet is hinged verso to the upper matte at the top two corners. Framed under glass. *Please note the auction begins at 9:30 am on November 14th.*
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Basquiat drew inspiration throughout the course of his life and career from Gray’s Anatomy, the well-known medical book that was given to him by his mother at age seven. In May 1968, Basquiat was hit by a car while playing ball in a Brooklyn street. He broke his arm and suffered various internal injuries causing him to be hospitalized for an extended period. While recovering, Basquiat received a copy of the famous textbook, which made a lasting impression on the young artist. Its influence is found in Basquiat’s later work with anatomical drawings and prints and in the name of the band he co-founded in 1979, Gray. In 1982 Basquiat created his first portfolio of prints, titled Anatomy. Self-referential details and childhood memories utterly permeate the artist’s seemingly inchoate stream of consciousness compositions, never more palpable than in Untitled (Anatomy).

In the present work, Basquiat articulates such anatomical terms in his diagrammatical drawing. The mask-like face stares piercingly out from a cacophony of forceful outlines, gestural marks, blocks of color, text and symbol. Combining the iconic talismans archetypal of Basquiat’s aesthetic with an impressive vocabulary of allusions to narrative body parts, Untitled (Anatomy) offers a bodily cross section and echoes a graphic style familiar to the explanatory images first introduced to Basquiat by his mother. The central image, a tortured-looking face appears skull-like with a clenched jaw and flared nostrils, and the staring, scarified eyes appear amidst a confluence of text, symbols and strident abstract marks. As though holding the component parts together, repeated rows of horizontal lines and terms organize the body itself. Some lines emerge from parts of the body with unidentifiable significance, and in certain cases the terminology repeats itself on top of each other in black and blue.

The skull-like form, the most vibrantly colored and laboriously worked on, resembles ancient tribal masks, while also invoking the traditional deathly symbolism of the skull in Dutch vanitas paintings. Basquiat also echoes Picasso for whom primitivism was an antidote to the conservatism of the academies, whilst also invoking the paradigmatic anatomical drawings of Leonardo da Vinci and the ethereal Twombly-like lyricism of text and line. As can be seen by the detail and care put into a work of this magnitude, it is evident that Basquiat saw no distinction between his drawing and his painting practice. For him, there was no hierarchy between the two, and his works on paper were thematically and artistically of equal importance to his paintings.