Jean-Michel Basquiat

Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Paris, Galerie Yvon Lambert, Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1988
Villeneuve d'Ascq, Musée d'Art Moderne, Yvon Lambert Collectionne, January - April 1992, cat. no. 37, illustrated
Marseille, Musée Cantini, Jean-Michel Basquiat: Une Rétrospective, July - September 1992, p. 16, illustrated
Paris, Musée-Galerie de la Seita, Jean-Michel Basquiat: Peinture, Dessin, Écriture, December 1993 - February 1994, cat. no. 61, p. 88, illustrated
Paris, Fondation Dina Vierny-Musée Maillol, Jean-Michel Basquiat: Oeuvres sur papier, May - October 1997, p. 149, illustrated
Yokohama Museum of Art, Oeuvres sur papier et photographies. La collection Yvon Lambert, dialogue avec des artists contemporains, April - June 1998, p. 121, illustrated

Galerie Enrico Navarra, ed., Jean-Michel Basquiat, New York, 1999, p. 335, illustrated in color

This work is in very good condition overall. The surface and colors are bright and fresh. There are some scattered charcoal smudges and light surface abrasions, some of which may be original and by the artist's hand. There is a spot of discoloration along the left edge of the sheet, approximately 8 inches from the top. The sheet is hinged verso to the matte intermittently along the edges. Framed under Plexiglas.
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.

"Many of his stylistic trademarks are themselves a recognizable part of the continuum of well-established African-American aesthetic traditions...the repeated blues refrain, jazz's improvisational rifting, and the sampling technique of rap...He had few black friends, even fewer black peers. No wonder he found his heroes in jazz geniuses like Charlie Parker [who he often refers to in his paintings as the word 'ornithology']. His repeated use of the copyright sign probably owes as much to Parker as to the cartoons he obsessively watched on television. (As with numerous other black musicians who were taken advantage of by the white music industry, Parker's failure to copyright his brilliant compositions cost him his royalties; the record companies profited from work which he did for the price of a recording session.)" Phoebe Hoban, Basquiat: A Quick Killing in Art, New York, 2004