Untitled
Untitled
Signed Print
Jean-Michel Basquiat
£1,090,000-£1,640,000Value Indicator
$2,280,000-$3,420,000 Value Indicator
$2,000,000-$3,000,000 Value Indicator
¥10,500,000-¥15,790,000 Value Indicator
€1,260,000-€1,900,000 Value Indicator
$11,140,000-$16,760,000 Value Indicator
¥205,350,000-¥308,970,000 Value Indicator
$1,440,000-$2,160,000 Value Indicator
AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
There aren't enough data points on this work for a comprehensive result. Please speak to a specialist by making an enquiry.
Medium: Screenprint
Edition size: 10
Year: 1983
Size: H 146cm x W 192cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Location | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2022 | Sotheby's New York | United States | |||
| June 2020 | Sotheby's New York | United States | |||
| November 2018 | Christie's New York | United States | |||
| March 2013 | Sotheby's New York | United States | |||
| May 2005 | Christie's New York | United States |
Meaning & Analysis
In this untitled print, an ambiguous face, most likely that of an animal, drawn in white with a mesh-like covering over the mouth area, is depicted above 24 blocks of text, lines and sketches. The web structure which seems to intrude upon the face evoking an air of entrapment and constriction evokes the similarly-depicted rib cages and skulls which dominate the artist’s depictions of the human body.
The blocks of text could be pages of an encyclopaedia, diverse sources of information colliding aggressively. The frenetic use of lines and arrows, criss-crossing and dividing up the text and images, mirrors the clashing themes and references of the artist’s works. The viewer squints to make sense of the highly compressed information brought to life within the piece. As such, Olivia Laing suggests that “the evident use of codes and symbols inspires a sort of interpretation-mania on the part of curators. But surely part of the point of the crossed-out lines and erasing hurricanes of colour is that Basquiat is attesting to the mutability of language.”
Jean-Michel Basquiat's unique visual style has dominated the Urban Art scene, securing his status as one of the most successful African-American street artists of the 20th Century. Addressing themes of race, identity and culture within his expressive works, his distinctive painterly style and use of child-like iconography changed the course of art history forever. Artworks such as Undiscovered Genius place controversial subjects at the forefront of his narrative. Despite his tragically premature death at the age of 27, Basquiat's impact on the art scene is exemplified through the increase of his market value in the years since.