DEMO Piece

1983

Medium

Acrylic and oil stick on canvas

Dimensions

152.4 × 152.4 cm (60 × 60 in.)

Condition

Very good. Minor surface abrasion to lower right edge, consistent with age and handling. No restorations.

About the work

A monumental and viscerally charged head study from Basquiat's most celebrated period, executed in his signature combination of acrylic ground and gestural oil stick. The composition centres on a disembodied skull-like head — crown, eyes, and bared teeth rendered with urgent, staccato marks — against a raw, layered ground of black, red, and ochre. The work typifies Basquiat's engagement with the body as a site of political and psychological tension, drawing equally on African mask traditions, anatomical illustration, and the lexicon of New York graffiti. Dated to 1983, the year of his first major museum retrospective and his celebrated collaboration with Andy Warhol, this canvas stands as a defining document of one of the twentieth century's most consequential careers.

Provenance

Acquired directly from the artist, New York, 1983. Private collection, New York, 1983–2019. Sotheby's New York, Contemporary Art Evening Sale, 15 May 2019, lot 32. Private collection, Europe, 2019–present.