Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) - Sienna - Giclée...

Giclée Print (*) of Jean-Michel Basquiat (**) High-quality reproduction of the work “Sienna,” created by Basquiat in 1984. Luxury edition on high‑weight Monte Carlo watercolor paper (300 g/m2) Print authorized by Artestar New York. Copyright of the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Includes Certificate of Authenticity (COA). Specifications: - Support dimensions: 50 x 45 cm - Print/spot dimensions: 40 x 35 cm - Condition: Excellent (this work has never been framed or exhibited, and has always been kept in a professional art folder, therefore offered in perfect condition). The work will be carefully handled and packed in a reinforced flat cardboard parcel. Shipping will be tracked and certified, operated by top transport companies (UPS DPD DHL FedEx). The shipment will also include full insurance for the final value of the work with a full refund in case of loss or damage, at no cost to the buyer. (*) Giclée is a term referring to a high-quality fine art printing process, digitally created with inkjet printers. This process uses pigment-based inks and specialized papers to achieve great sharpness, color accuracy, and durability, ideal for art reproductions and photography. (**) Jean-Michel Basquiat was the eldest of three children of Matilde Andrades and Gerard Basquiat. His father was a financially solid Haitian accountant and his mother a Puerto Rican graphic designer of high prestige in her profession. Jean-Michel grew up in a troubled family environment; his parents divorced and, due to this, he had to change schools many times. He studied at a private Catholic school, then at a public school and finally, at 16, he entered City-As-School, a school for gifted teenagers, from which he was expelled a year before graduating. In youth he entered the urban subculture of the big city, related to drug use and street gangs. In 1977, together with Al Díaz, he entered the world of graffiti, painting on subway cars and in the SoHo area, a New York neighborhood where art galleries proliferate. A year later he left school one year before graduating from high school and left home to live for two years on the streets, in abandoned buildings or with his friends in Lower Manhattan, surviving by selling postcards and T-shirts that he himself decorated. He continued with graffiti; his writings and tags carried poetic and philosophical weight, but above all satirical. The pseudonym of his alter ego shared with Al Díaz was SAMO (an acronym for “Same Old Shit,” i.e., “the same old crap,” with which they signed their tags and graffiti with cryptic messages. The use of this name was decisive in his life. These murals bore inscriptions such as “SAMO saves idiots” or “SAMO ends religious brainwashing, the politics of nothingness, and false philosophy.” An article about SAMO’s street writing published in The Village Voice was the first hint that the art world was taking an interest in him. The artist had several relationships that influenced his work; one of the most significant was with artist Andy Warhol. Also, romantically, he was involved with several women; one of the best known today was Madonna. Lower Manhattan was the area where they lived at that time; in 1982 they began to spend more time together and go to gallery parties. A theme that united them, she says in an interview: “I was a huge fan of Miles Davis and Charlie Parker.” In 1988 they staged exhibitions in Paris and New York, and in April of that same year he tried to overcome his addictions and retreated to his home in Hawaii. He returns to New York in June, announcing that he has freed himself from addictions, but on August 12, 1988, at the age of 27, he dies of a heroin overdose, becoming the most successful visual artist in the history of Afro-descendant art. He is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn. Throughout his brief but intense artistic career he would hold more than 40 solo exhibitions and participate in around 100 group shows. Self-promotion and advertising claims were priorities for Basquiat, as they had previously been for Andy Warhol or Julian Schnabel. Neo-expressionism began to prevail over appropriationism, partly thanks to the economic strength that pushed art prices—and especially painting—to new highs, and partly thanks to the support of gallerists and collectors. Criticism, however, was not unanimous in its assessment, and there was frequent criticism of the neo-expressionist discourse for lacking theoretical grounding. It was claimed that the art practiced by neo-expressionists had no political or social meaning, it was merely merchandise and, therefore, subject to market fluctuations. Neo-expressionist painting was reduced to a consumer product and, as such, a creatively disqualified and vulgar act.

Estimate:£126.73

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