Jean-Michel Basquiat

The complete set of 18 screenprints, 1982, each signed in pencil and numbered [1-18]/2 on the verso, from the edition of 18 (total edition includes seven artist's proofs), on Arches 88 wove paper, printed by Jo Watanabe, New York, published by Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, framed (18 prints)

Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner

The prints are in good condition, the full sheets. 16/2 with a 15 mm scratch at the bottom center in the black, with associated ink loss. 12/2 with a 190 mm diagonal soft crease at the top left corner. 10/2 with a tiny pin hole at the left edge near the top. All sheets with a few inconspicuous printing imperfections, soft creasing at the corners, and faint surface scuffs in the image. Most sheets with a few soft handling creases at the edges, visible under raking light. The versos in good condition, a few with one or two tiny fox marks, several with skinning associated with prior hinging and faint traces of surface soiling.
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.

Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Anatomy is the artist’s first portfolio of prints and it distills many of the thematic qualities that define the artist’s early work. The series was created shortly after his inaugural solo exhibition, organized by the Annina Nosei Gallery in March of 1982. Nosei provided the artist with a studio in the basement of her gallery, where Anatomy was conceived.

Anatomy  encapsulates Basquiat’s fascination with the human form and the written word. Beginning in early 1981, the artist produced hundreds of drawings and paintings depicting skulls and skeletons. Gianni Mercurio attributes the origins of his interest in anatomical forms to a particular incident, writing, “His childhood was rich source for many of the recurrent figures in his works, often drawn from texts such as Gray’s Anatomy, which was a gift from his mother while he was in the hospital after being hit by a car at the age of seven” (Gianni Mercurio, “The Moon King,” in Exh. Cat. Fondazione La Triennale de Milano, The Jean Michel Basquiat Show, p. 25). The portfolio conveys the artist’s profound attention to the technical functioning of the body, illustrating skulls, femurs, elbows, scapula, and pelvises, all rendered in white lines, set against a black background, evocative of an x-ray. Each body part is labeled, as it would be in a medical textbook. The incorporation of these notations into the compositions also signals the artist’s abiding interest in the intersection of language and visual forms. Richard Marshall notes, “What gives Basquiat’s works their special appeal is the fact that the words and symbols that he uses function almost like a code, serving to conceal various themes such as political, social or racial problems” (Richard Marshall quoted in Taka Kawachi, ed., King for a Decade: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Tokyo 1997, p. 73). The viewer must look closely to decipher the fragmented bodies and esoteric language and determine whether their depiction might have some latent meaning.