If only he was still alive to see the love for his work…
In a brilliant reminder of the influence of his work and its universal appeal, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s painting In This Case has sold for $119 million AUD in a New York sale, making it the second-highest price paid for a work by the late artist. The most expensive of course goes to Untitled, which went for $143 million in May 2017 in New York.
The 1983 painting, which depicts the iconic skull with a red backdrop, initially sold for $105 million AUD, but with added fees and commissions (which are commonplace with sales of this magnitude), the final price came to a total of $119 million AUD. It just goes to show how much Basquiat’s legacy has grown over the years, with the same canvas selling in November 2002 for just $1.3 million AUD.
It’s definitely a worthwhile painting to go ham on money wise, with In This Case revisiting two themes that Basquiat constantly explored in his work; the anatomy and representation of African-American characters.
A pretty special work that was worth every penny (millions upon millions of them), no doubt Basquiat would be proud. Check out the iconic piece below.
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