Brooklyn-born painter Jean-Michel Basquiat came out of New York’s vibrant downtown scene of the late 1970s to become one of the most influential and internationally renowned artists of the late 20th century. His street art and Neo-Expressionist works on canvas and paper as well as on random objects and surfaces are characterized by visually striking and psychologically powerful combinations of anatomical diagrams, charged words and cryptic phrases, numerals, pictograms, commercial graphic art, allusions to African history and African-American pop culture, as well as stick figures and maps. Born of Afro-Caribbean parents on 22 December 1960, Basquiat was exposed to art by his mother and some of his teachers but received no formal art education. After dropping out of high school and leaving home in 1976, he attracted attention with the enigmatic graffiti he created under the name SAMO, befriending artists and downtown luminaries and beginning to paint and draw with more focused effort. A first public group show in a vacant Times Square building in June 1980 eventually led to his first solo exhibition in 1982. Success among the contemporary art-loving public was immediate, while critics both lauded Basquiat as a genius and derided him as a product of the newly booming market. In the mid-1980s, the artist collaborated on several works with the most famous artist of the time, Andy Warhol. He died of a heroin overdose on 12 August 1988. The influence of Basquiat’s complex aesthetic on subsequent generations of artist remains incalculable. His works can be found in museum collections around the world including The Broad, Los Angeles, the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, and The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh. According to Sotheby’s Mei Moses index, the average compound annual return for works by Basquiat resold at auction between 2003 and 2017 was 17.4%, and 96.5% of 171 such works increased in value.

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Modernités

Jean-Michel Basquiat 1960 - 1988 Sans titre signé des initiales de l’artiste et daté 1985 (au verso du papier) acrylique, collage de papier, crayon et XEROX sur papier marouflé sur papier monté sur panneau 57,4 x 77 cm ; 22 ⅝ x 30 ¼ in. Exécuté en 1985. Cette oeuvre est accompagnée d'un certificat du Comité d'Authentification de l'Estate de Jean-Michel Basquiat daté du 6 octobre 2004.

sans titre

Basquiat executed this one line poem circa 1982 while living with a noted Gray bandmate.<ul><li>Single page removed from notebook.</li><li>The line reads: "SOME BORING HARBOR / CAMERAS MILD SUSPENCE."</li><li>Ink on paper.</li><li>Obtained directly from a prominent Basquiat Gray band member whose typewritten prose appears on the reverse.</li><li>Accompanied by a signed letter of provenance from the aforementioned.</li></ul> Here, Basquiat begins to play with the idea of beginning a screenplay, with the work’s empty space and liner notes leaving us to surreally fill in the blanks. The work further echoes Basquiat’s one-line street poems during his (earlier) SAMO period and famed notebook entries, not to mention his interest in beat poetry and fragmented prose scenarios mirroring the style and influence of William S. Burroughs. During the very early part of his career, Basquiat also experimented with screenwriting.

Handwritten One Line Poem

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Jean-Michel%20Basquiat&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jean-Michel Basquiat</a> illustrated <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/collectibles/vintage-poster" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">poster</a> for the “Ikonoklast Panzerism versus Tricnology” lecture with Rammellzee, at Squat Theater, New York, October 30th, 1982:<ul><li>After Jean Michel Basquiat (American, 1960-1988).</li><li>Illustrated by Basquiat for a one-night benefit organized by Basquiat assistant, Stephen Torton with New York graffiti and downtown art scene legends: Rammellzee, A-One, Koor Bone, Toxic (Toxic C One), Jean-Michel Basquiat, DJ High Priest (Nick Taylor), Fab 5 Fred Brathwaite; with special guests: Frosty Freeze, and Diego Cortez.</li><li>Offset lithograph.</li><li>This work is presented framed.</li></ul>

Basquiat Rammellzee ‘Ikonoklast Panzerism versus Tricnology’ Poster

Basquiat illustrated and printed this flyer for his band Gray in 1980.<ul><li>Jean-Michel Basquiat (American, 1960-1988).</li><li>Unsigned from an edition of unknown size.</li><li>Xerox printed on paper.</li><li>Accompanied by a letter of provenance.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul> Executed similarly in the manner of his well-documented Anti-Product Cards of the period, Basquiat draws over a found image, then employs his famous William Burroughs-style "cut-up" technique, completing the piece by abstractly scrawling the word "Gray" above. First called Channel 9, then Test Pattern, the Basquiat co-founded group settled on the name "Gray" after Basquiat's fondness for the textbook Gray's Anatomy. Gray was an experimental New York Noise band defined by jazz improvisation, spoken word poetry, sound looping and everything in between. Gray members included co-founder Michael Holman, Nick Taylor, Shannon Dawson, Wayne Clifford and eventually Vincent Gallo. "Jean-Michel did all the posters for the band" (see Fretz, Basquiat A Biography p.40), and the group most notably played the likes of historic downtown clubs such as CBGB, The Mudd Club, Squat Theater and Hurrah's. The late Glenn O'Brien once noted that Basquiat approached music as a "Picasso-Charlie Parker-Miles Davis" collage. Basquiat, who played clarinet, synthesizer and a number of hybrid instruments, once said of Gray, "We were trying to be incomplete, abrasive, oddly beautiful." A description much in line with the nature of his art going forward. Based on the nature of how "Gray" is written, it's likely Basquiat was influenced by the mysterious religious-zealot-turned-urban-legend/street artist famous for key scratching "Pray" on hundreds of New York City building doors and phone booths in a similar style.

Gray Band Flyer

A hand-drafted flyer by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=jean%20michel%20basquiat&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Basquiat</a> for a performance by his close friend, John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards at Squat Theater in New York, December 1, 1979.<ul><li>Jean Michel Basquiat (American, 1960-1988).</li><li>Ink on paper.</li><li>Unsigned.</li><li>Accompanied by a letter of provenance.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul> John Lurie was considered one of Basquiat’s closest friends; and has been a significant and prolific member of the New York downtown art and cultural scene since the 1970s. Lurie had a role in the Basquiat film Downtown 81 and starred in Jim Jarmusch’s pioneering independent films&nbsp;Stranger Than Paradise&nbsp;and&nbsp;Down by Law. His jazz-punk band&nbsp;The Lounge Lizards&nbsp;were at the forefront of the late-1970s New York ‘No-wave’ music scene. At its founding, the band consisted of John Lurie and Evan Lurie, guitarist&nbsp;Arto Lindsay, bassist Steve Piccolo, and percussionist&nbsp;Anton Fier. Though partly inspired by jazz, John Lurie said he used guitarists in the band "to foil the music when it gets too jazzlike.”

Basquiat John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards Hand-Drafted Music Flyer

<a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=jean%20michel%20basquiat&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Basquiat</a> created this flyer on the occasion of a performance by his band, Test Pattern (later renamed to <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=basquiat%20gray&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gray</a>), at the much fabled downtown art space, “A’s", December 5th, 1979, at 330 Broome Street, New York.<ul><li>After Jean Michel Basquiat (American, 1960-1988).</li><li>Published by the artist, 1979.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul> A much historical work, notably exhibited and catalogued as part of the 2017 Basquiat London Boom for Real exhibition at the Barbican Center and more recently at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MBAM) &amp; Paris Philharmonic. Basquiat's unique squiggly line, signature vertically spaced "E", use of random technical information, and text, sometimes crossed out, is already apparent in this most seminal early work. Basquiat playfully includes, then crosses his name out on the mid lower left alongside fellow band members. From Jean-Michel Basquiat: A Biography, Fretz, 2010:“Jean-Michel did all the posters for his band. One of the early public performances was in December 1979 at A’s, a loft at 330 Broome Street... Arleen Schloss, the owner, also let Jean-Michel stay there at times and use it as a studio for his “MAN MADE” clothing… [The hand-drawn poster for the gig] is done in his recognizable style, with strange arrows and notations added underneath. Some of the words are crossed out, and there is a dotted line of ink splashed through the middle of the page. A photocopied micro-cassette finishes off the look, suggesting some kind of sound, but not conventional music.”

Basquiat Test Pattern Concert Flyer

Basquiat illustrated and printed this flyer for his band Gray for the occasion of Gray with DNA at the legendary CBGB club on March 22, 1980.<ul><li>Jean-Michel Basquiat (American, 1960-1988).</li><li>Unsigned from an edition of unknown size.</li><li>Xerox printed on paper.</li><li>Accompanied by a letter of provenance.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul> Here, Basquiat, in a surreal, film-noir like pattern, employs his own printed fingerprints in the design to suggest a forthcoming Gray performance as a crime-scene waiting to happen, with "GRAY" very discreetly written within one of the fingerprints. A uniquely personal and very striking insight into Basquiat’s own musical history.

<a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Basquiat&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Basquiat</a> created this impossibly rare printed flyer to advertise a band performance within his feature acted <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/collectibles/vintage-poster/film" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">film</a>: Downtown 81 / New York Beat in 1980.<ul><li>After Jean Michel Basquiat (American, 1960-1988).</li><li>The flyer with text and imagery by Basquiat, promotes a segment performance by Kid Creole and the Coconuts at The Rock Lounge: 285 West Broadway, New York, December 15th, 1980.</li><li>Offset printed flyer.</li><li>Accompanied by a letter of provenance.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul> A much historical work, much notably exhibited and cataloged as part of, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts: Seeing Loud: Basquiat and Music (October 2022 - February 2023) &amp; sister show at the Paris Philharmonic (March - July 2023). ‘In 1980, writer and Warhol associate Glenn O’Brien, Swiss photographer Edo Bertoglio, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, a graffiti innovator and noise music artist who’d just begun to exhibit his paintings, hit the streets of lower Manhattan to make a movie about the bombed-out bohemia they lived and breathed. Left unfinished due to assorted legal and financial issues until it was fully assembled for release in 2000,&nbsp;Downtown 81&nbsp;follows Basquiat, a naturally compelling screen presence, as he tries to hawk a painting (one of the artist’s own first works) while hustling for a place to sleep. So what was meant to be a document of its time instead became a window into a long-lost world of life on the margins and creative ferment—and it feels especially potent today, when NYC had transformed into an artless ghost town, before escalating racial injustices brought people back to the streets. The film features appearances by John Lurie, Fab 5 Freddy, and Debbie Harry; musical performances by DNA, James White and the Blacks, and Kid Creole and the Coconuts; and, most remarkable of all, a portrait of a more innocent Manhattan in all its mangy glory.’ (Metrograph)

Downtown 81 / New York Beat Movie Music Performance Poster

An <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/collectibles/vintage-poster/art-&amp;-artist" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">exhibition poster</a> published for the occasion of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Jean-Michel+Basquiat&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jean-Michel Basquiat</a> at Galerie Hans Mayer Düsseldorf, Grabbeplatz 2 Jan 1st – Mar 31st 1988.<ul><li>After Jean Michel Basquiat (American, 1960-1988).</li><li>Galerie Hans Mayer Düsseldorf: 1988.</li><li>Offset lithograph in colors printed on heavy paper. </li><li>Basquiat printed signature present on lower left.</li><li>From an edition of unknown size, presumed to be scarce.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul> A standout Basquiat collector's piece designed and illustrated by the artist himself, just months before his death in August of the same year. The Hans Mayer Gallery Düsseldorf, began with a Josef Albers show in 1965 and concentrated on constructionist art in the following years. In 1969 Hans Mayer was the first to show Andy Warhol in Düsseldorf. The gallery later added exhibitions by further standout artists, Frank Stella, Ellsworth Kelly, Bill Beckley, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, Tom Wesselmann, Keith Haring, &amp; Jean Michel Basquiat in the years to follow.

German Jean Michel Basquiat Exhibition Poster

A portfolio of photographs taken of Basquiat by Nicholas Taylor.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 9 photographs.</li><li>Nicholas Taylor (American, b. 1953).</li><li>Photographs taken in 1979, printed in 2014.</li><li>Part of a limited edition of 10, plus 3 artist proofs.</li><li>Each work hand-signed and numbered by Taylor.</li><li>Featured within is a photo taken by Basquiat of Taylor with his faced bandaged.</li><li>Photogravure on Hahnemühle Bütten 350g paper.</li><li>Each is presented matted.</li></ul> While Basquiat often provided glimpses into his conflicted character through his own art, Taylor’s photograph offers an intimate, and perhaps more honest, portrait from the outside. The clever exploration of light and dark reveals the dichotomies that divided the artist; both his fragile and playful, tender and brazen sides are unveiled at only 19 years old. A soft glow is cast across Basquiat’s face, communicating a tenderness and affection that only a close friend could capture.

Portfolio of Jean-Michel Basquiat Photographs

A memorial announcement card for the services honoring <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Jean-Michel%20Basquiat&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jean-Michel Basquiat</a> after his passing in August of 1988.<ul><li>Post-marked on the reverse.</li><li>Offset printed announcement card.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul>

Jean-Michel Basquiat Memorial Card

A set of performance flyers for Basquiat’s band Gray and fellow New York no wave band, DNA, designed and illustrated by DNA member Tim Wright.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 2 flyers.</li><li>Tim Wright (American, 1952-2013).</li><li>Published for the occasions of: DNA and GRAY at CBGB on March 22, 1980; DNA and GRAY at Squat Theatre on June 6, 1980.</li><li>Annotated on the lower by Michael Holman of Gray to fellow bandmate Nicholas (Nick) Taylor.</li><li>Offset printed.</li><li>Presented unframed.</li></ul> These works were notably exhibited at the Museum of the City of New York 2021 ("New Music 1980-86") and The Philharmonie de Paris, 2023 ("Basquiat Soundtracks"). A much historical testament to Basquiat’s music history. Gray was an experimental New York Noise band defined by jazz improvisation, spoken word poetry, sound looping and everything in between. Gray members included co-founder Michael Holman, Nick Taylor, Shannon Dawson, Wayne Clifford and eventually Vincent Gallo. DNA was an American no wave band formed in 1977 by guitarist Arto Lindsay and keyboardist Robin Crutchfield, and later joined by drummer Ikue Mori and bassist Tim Wright. They were associated with the late 1970s New York no wave scene and were featured on the 1978 compilation No New York and soundtrack to Basquiat Downtown 81.

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