Jean-Michel Basquiat's 'Untitled (Magic Worms)', 1984

Jean-Michel Basquiat Untitled (Magic Worms), 1984

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Untitled (Magic Worms), 1984

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Untitled (Magic Worms), 1984 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale New York, 17 May 2018, 5pm

The artist in his Venice Beach studio, 1984. Photograph by Brad Branson. Š 2018 Brad Branson Estate.

BREAKING IT DOWN

BASQUIAT’S UNTITLED (MAGIC WORMS), 1984 Phillips is privileged to offer Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Untitled (Magic Worms), an exquisite drawing of 1984 that encapsulates many of the artist’s most significant themes. Drawing on a variety of influences, Basquiat’s drawing serves as a platform upon which the artist explores a range of subjects covering art history, jazz, graffiti, and popular culture, with particular emphasis on comics and advertising.

Peppered with humorous line drawings and enigmatic phrases, Basquiat’s drawing appropriates its imagery from a full-page advertisement that he culled from the back pages of a vintage comic book. Using the ad as a framework, Basquiat explores many of the most important ideas of his career. This catalogue will delve into the influences and subject matter of this detailed and seminal drawing, which has featured in numerous publications and exhibitions around the world.

“Basquiat and Comics: A Love Affair” is an essay that discusses the artist’s enduring fascination with the cartoons and comics of his childhood. As a young boy, Basquiat had aspired to be a cartoonist, and he devoted a number of paintings and works on paper from the mid-1980s to cartoons and comics, often emphasizing their tendency toward good versus evil. He was also largely self-taught. A voracious reader, Basquiat possessed a nearly encyclopedic knowledge on a variety of wide-ranging subjects. Comics were deeply personal to the artist, and they provided the perfect foil for incorporating his extensive knowledge into a cohesive whole, often skewed with a sly or humorous approach.

“Dissecting Magic Worms: Anatomy of a Master Drawing” focuses on the most significant imagery in the drawing, and discusses them in the context of their original source material. Basquiat selected each word, phrase and image with intention and care, and each relates to a different aspect of the artist’s own personality. “Onion gum,” “x-ray specs,” “magic worms,” and jazz music mingle alongside Classical architecture and references to ancient civilizations in the drawing, which also includes personal motifs from the artist’s childhood in Brooklyn. Basquiat cleverly blends such diverse and wide-ranging subjects with characteristic flair, which allows him to hint at larger issues, be they social commentary, his African-American identity or simply pure amusement.

Finally, this publication will feature a group of works that repeat various images found in the drawing.

Basquiat replicated “x-ray specs,” “onion gum,” and “magic worms” in several drawings and paintings of this era, some of which are illustrated here.

Robert Manley Worlwide Co-Head of 20th Century & Contemporary Art

4

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (Magic Worms), 1984. (detail) © The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York

Property of a Private European Collection

12. Jean-Michel Basquiat

1960-1988

Untitled (Magic Worms) signed and dated “Basquiat 84” lower right. graphite and oilstick on paper. 29 3/4 x 22 1/4 in. (75.6 x 56.5 cm.).

Executed in 1984.

Estimate $1,000,000-1,500,000 Provenance Mary Boone Gallery, New York Twiga Collection, New York Sotheby’s, New York, November 16, 1995, lot 220 Acquired at the above sale by the present owner Exhibited New York, Willard Gallery, Selected Drawings by Eleven Artists, 1984, no. 8 Los Angeles, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Gala!

Gala! 1984, 1984 La Habana, Casa de las Americas, Fundación Habana Club, Basquiat en la Habana, November 2000 - January 2001, p. 113 (illustrated) Santa Monica, Ikon Gallery, The Drawing Show, January 12 - March 1, 2008 Art Gallery of Ontario, Jean-Michel Basquiat: Now’s the Time, February 7 - May 10, 2015, p. 140 (illustrated) Literature Galerie Enrico Navarra, Jean-Michel Basquiat: Works on Paper, Paris, 1999, fig. 24, p. 42 (detail illustrated, p. 41) Jean-Michel Basquiat, exh. cat., Duolun Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai; Imperial City Art Museum, Beijing, 2006, fig. 24, pp. 32, 34 (detail illustrated, p. 26) Jean-Michel Basquiat. French Collections, exh. cat., Cultural Services of the French Embassy, New York, 2007, fig. 24, p. 37 (detail illustrated, p. 28)

6

BASQUIAT & COMICS: A LOVE AFFAIR

A

STRIKING TESTAMENT TO THE ARTIST’S enduring fascination with comics, cartoons and the ephemera of childhood, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s exquisite drawing of

1984, Untitled (Magic Worms), is brimming with humorous illustrations and cryptic poetry. Basquiat playfully illustrates vintage novelty toys like “magic worms,” “x-ray specs,” and “onion gum” that he found in 1960s-era comic books like Batman and The Phantom.

These zany cartoon advertisements illustrate some of the most significant themes of Basquiat’s oeuvre, having deep roots that can be traced back to his youth. In the drawing, the vintage ads are depicted alongside classical examples of Fine Art, while clever references to Basquiat’s identity are epitomized in the copyright symbols and the “skelly courts” of his Brooklyn neighborhood. The Charlie Parker album Crazeology features alongside the artist’s signature. Using words like brushstrokes, Basquiat creates a sly drawing that’s both personal and encyclopedic, referencing his identity as young artist who understood all that came before him, while cleverly inserting himself into the cannon of “High Art.”

Upper: Jean-Michel Basquiat at eighteen months old, 1962. © The Estate of Jean-­ Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York. Middle: Freedman Novelty Company catalogue no. 29 (cover), 1958. Lower: Life Savers advertisement, Onion and Groom, 1951. Opposite page: Original advertisement for Honor House Product Corporation, Lynbrook, N.Y. Ad courtesy Kirk Demarais.

8

9

“BASQUIAT

the

OPTICAL ILLUSION . . . REALLY WORKS! . . .

symbols of childhood and juvenile popular

primarily

emphasized

LOOK AT YOUR FRIEND, IS THAT REALLY HIS

culture,” Richard Marshall has written, “and

BODY YOU SEE UNDER HIS CLOTHES?”

his works contain hundreds of examples, such as comic books and cartoons . . . comic

Billed as “A Treasure Chest of Fun,” the range

characters [and] . . . comic book joke tricks.”

of novelties that Basquiat depicts were of-

(Richard Marshall, “Jean-Michel Basquiat

fered by Honor House Product Corporation

and His Subjects,” in Jean-Michel Basquiat,

for pennies on the dollar, having featured in

Galerie Enrico Navarra, Paris, 1996, vol. 2, p.

full-page advertisements in comics such

30) Basquiat’s love of comics is exemplified in

as Mandrake the Magician, Batman and The

his lyrical drawings of vintage mail-order nov-

Phantom in the late 1960s. Joy buzzers, trick

elty toys from the 1950s and ‘60s in Untitled

soap, onion gum, x-ray glasses, and magic

(Magic Worms). These kitschy dimestore

worms were a few of the toys featured, and

pranks retain a nostalgic humor that is

Basquiat’s depiction will undoubtedly release

made all the more potent by Basquiat’s de-

a wave of nostalgia for readers who remem-

liberately childlike rendering. At the center

ber the simple joy of a 12-cent comic book,

of the sheet, the phrase “MAGIC WORMS ©”

or the anticipation of awaiting a mail-order

draws the viewer into the fascinating world

toy that often took six or eight weeks to ar-

that Basquiat creates, where playful illustra-

rive. In Untitled (Magic Worms), “onion gum,”

tions of wriggling worms mingle alongside

“x-ray specs,” and “magic worms” are grouped

crossed-out words and phrases. At the top

together on the sheet in faithful replication of

of the page, a cartoonish character with bulg-

each item as it appeared in the original ad.

ing eyes and dripping sweat is the epitome

Basquiat crosses out and obscures the origi-

of Basquiat’s written description: “STRESS.”

nal captions—a deliberate technique that he

Nearby, a figure grimaces as he experiences

found visually stimulating: “I cross out words

the effects of “ONION GUM ©,” with furrowed

so you will see them more,” he said. “The fact

brow and gritted teeth. Below that, a man in

that they are obscured makes you want to

dark glasses “undresses” an unwitting buxom

read them.” (Jean-Michel Basquiat, quoted in

bystander while wearing “x-ray” specs. “X-RAY

Dieter Buchhart and Sam Keller, eds., Basquiat,

SPECS,” the drawing reads, “AN HILARIOUS

Fondation Beyeler, Basel, 2010, p. XXII)

The author’s selection of mail order novelties and comics featuring Flash Gordon, Mandrake the Magician and Batman, 1967.

Flash Gordon and Mandrake the Magician © Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc. Batman © Distributed by DC Comics.

10

11

As an artist who had dropped out of school and never received traditional artistic training, Basquiat was nevertheless brilliant, his acquaintance with esoteric concepts and ideas virtually fathomless, and he drew on these with rapid-fire recall in Untitled (Magic Worms), where every image coexists in a kaleidoscopic array. “Working to a soundtrack of TV cartoons, advertisements and jazz, Basquiat famously claimed that he used words as if they were brushstrokes. . . .

For the most part, they were intuitive, almost musical outpourings, drawn from the cacophony of sources that surrounded him.” (Phoebe Hoban, Basquiat: A Quick Killing in Art, London 1998, p. 68). Newspapers, magazines, comics, take-out menus, and the telephone numbers and addresses of his friends all became equal fodder in his work, which he truly lived with—and his footprints bear witness to that fact.

Their palimpsest-like arrangement in Untitled (Magic Worms) reveals the esoteric innerworkings of Basquiat’s own encyclopedic mind, as the subconscious release onto the paper sheet acknowledges his love of beat poetry and the stream-of-consciousness writings of William S. Burroughs. Indeed, Basquiat’s cleverlyveiled references to comic books, jokes and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Riddle Me This, Batman, 1987. Acrylic and oil paintstick on canvas. 117.2 x 114.3 in. (297.8 x 290.2 cm) © The Estate of Jean-­Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York.

Andy Warhol, Dick Tracy, 1960. Casein and wax crayon on canvas 48 x 33 7/8 in. (122 x 84 cm) © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / DACS / Artimage 2018.

the symbols of childhood often parallels the dark humor of Burroughs and hints at larger sociopolitical themes. “Basquiat saw a microcosm of the world’s sociopolitical situation mirrored in children’s cartoons, and understood

These Honor House novelties were also featured in several works on paper and paintings that

how cartoons . . . were exploited for politi-

Basquiat created between the years 1983 and 1987. This focus on pop culture and childhood

cal propaganda,” Richard Marshall explained.

motifs coincides with Basquiat’s friendship with the artist Andy Warhol. In 1983, Basquiat had

“Basquiat sees in these popular cartoons and

moved into a two-story building on Great Jones street that Warhol owned, and the two art-

consumer items a deeper reflection of society’s

ists began working together on the famous collaborations that had been suggested by their

institutionalization of racism, discrimination,

dealer Bruno Bischofberger. Warhol took the young Basquiat under his wing, helping him make

and erroneous representations of good and

sense of the market, while Warhol benefited from Basquiat’s winning combination of youth,

evil.” (Richard Marshall, quoted in op. cit., p. 30)

A group of boys read 3-D comic books at the Madison Square Boys Club. Bettmann Archives. © Getty Images.

good looks and newfound celebrity status. “Their relationship was symbiotic,” the artist Ronnie Cutrone and one-time assistant to Warhol. (Ronnie Cutrone, quoted in Victor Bockris, Warhol:

Basquiat’s love of comics can be understood as

The Biography, Cambridge, 2003, p. 461-62) Basquiat actually idolized Warhol, and his art of

a deeply personal connection, one that allowed

this period illustrates the reigning Pop Art king’s influence on the burgeoning young artist, who

him to establish his own identity as a black art-

was not yet 24 years old when the drawing was created. It may also have been Basquiat’s way

ist working in a predominately white art world.

of insinuating himself more firmly into the art establishment.

In Untitled (Magic Worms), he expands upon this notion to provide even more autobiographical motifs, which are peppered throughout the creamy white sheet alongside the jokes, toys and puns. Along the lower register, the Charlie Parker album “CRAZEOLOGY” is depicted just above the artist’s signature.

12

13

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled, 1981. Acrylic, marker, paper collage, oil, paintstick and crayon on canvas. 48 ½ x 62 in.

(123 x 157.5 cm) The Schorr Family Collection © The Estate of Jean­- Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York

This clever reference points to the sonorous,

Sinister emblems linger nearby, howev-

jazz-infused workings of the artist’s studio,

er, lurking in plain sight among the comic

while equating Basquiat himself with the

book juvenalia. Basquiat includes the sym-

great, jazz legend. Indeed, Charlie Parker is

bol for arsenic or glass—a single line with

the jazz musician most frequently referenced

circles on each end—just above the phrase

by Basquiat, joining the roster of famous

“AHURAMAZDA (LIGHT OVER EVIL).” Nearby,

black athletes and musicians that the art-

microscopic viruses and bacteria are rendered

ist personally identified with and co-opted

squirming and cartoon-like, under the heading

as surrogates for his own identity. Basquiat

“SPECIES,” and the haunting all-caps “ROPE©”

also depicts a skelly court, which is a popu-

undoubtedly calls to mind the lynchings of

lar game from his Brooklyn neighborhood in

the deep South. Basquiat’s poignant depiction

another ode to his youth. Skelly court grids

of salt and pepper might further indicate his

were easily drawn in chalk on sidewalks and

identity as an African-American artist work-

streets, and played with bottle caps that are

ing in a predominately white art world. On the

thrown across a chalked-up grid. Basquiat’s

whole, the entire, kaleidoscopic and deeply

skelly courts are deeply personal, appearing

personal creation merges Basquiat’s sharp

in his earliest work.

wit with his savant-like knowledge of world history and politics.

Opposite: Skelly game, Brooklyn c. 1982. © Martha Cooper.

14

15

Untitled (Magic Worms) might be understood as an extended ode to the allegory of art-making, which is all the more relevant given Basquiat’s self-conscious status as an “outsider” artist working in the upper echelons of the elitist art world. References to “magic” and ways of seeing—as the x-ray specs advertise—reveal the artist’s ability to view the world differently from his peers, to see the truth as the x-ray specs claim.

Created at the very height of his career, Untitled (Magic Worms) is a clever invocation of the artist’s deep and enduring love of comic books and the books, cartoons and music of his youth. Spurred on by his relationship with Warhol, Basquiat creates a stunning drawing that integrates words, phrases and imagery from a wide variety of sources—not just pop culture, but world history, jazz and ancient art. No longer an art world outsider, Basquiat has arrived, creating a brilliant work that demonstrates his genius understanding of esoteric concepts and also his biting sense of humor. “He ate up every image, every word, every bit of data,” Glenn O’Brien has written, “and he he processed it all . . . into a bebop cubist pop art cartoon gospel that synthesized the whole overload we lived under into something that made an astonishing new sense”. (Glenn O’Brien, quoted in Dieter Buchhart, ed., Basquiat: Boom for Real, Barbican Art Gallery, London, 2017, p. 189)

Untitled (Magic Worms), as it was exhibited in The Drawing Show, at Ikon Ltd., Santa Monica, January-March 2008. Courtesy Ikon Ltd. Opposite: Announcement card for 1984 Willard Gallery group exhibition that featured Untitled (Magic Worms).

17

18

19

DISSECTING MAGIC WORMS: ANATOMY OF A MASTER DRAWING

H. W. JANSON’S THE HISTORY OF ART

ONION GUM

MAGIC WORMS ©

X-RAY SPECS

CHARLIE PARKER’S CRAZEOLOGY

20

21

ONION GUM

Basquiat must have enjoyed the inherent prank of the onion gum, because he copied its tagline verbatim in Untitled (Onion Gum). He also devoted a large-scale painting to the work just one year earlier.

This painting, titled Onion Gum of 1983, also features the tagline “ONION GUM MAKES YOUR MOUTH TASTE LIKE ONIONS,” against a bright yellow background.

IN THE LATE 1960S, “ONION GUM” was one of several novelties offered by the Honor House product corporation that Basquiat chose to depict in drawings and at least one painting of this era. Alongside jokes and pranks like “joy buzzers,” “whoopee cushions,” and “trick soap,” “onion gum” was a novelty bubble gum that looked like a regular piece of chewing gum, but tasted like foul-smelling onions. “Onion gum” was sold for 20-cents in 1967, and together with “pepper gum” and “Bazooka Joe,” it belongs to a particular subset of novelties—chewing gum that entertains while it’s consumed. “Looks like real chewing gum,” the ad reads, “but tastes like . . . like . . . ONIONS! It’s too funny!”

22

Upper: Wayne Thibaud, Three Machines (detail), 1963. Oil on canvas. © Wayne Thiebaud / Licensed by VAGA, New York. Right: The artist in his 12th street apartment, 1979. Photograph by Alexis Adler. © Alexis Adler. © The Estate of Jean-­Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York. Opposite Upper: Detail of Untitled (Magic Worms) featuring onion gum. © The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York. Opposite Left: Source image for Untitled (Magic Worms), 1984. Original advertisement for Honor House Product Corporation, Lynbrook, N.Y. Courtesy Kirk Demarais.

23

X-RAY SPECS “I HAVE SEEN MY DEATH!” Anna Bertha

The “x-ray specs” that Basquiat depicts in

Röntgen is said to have exclaimed upon view-

Untitled (Magic Worms) were based on a 1967

ing the bones in her own hand via the first

advertisement for the Honor House Product

x-ray ever conducted by her husband, the

Corporation based in Lynbrook, New Jersey.

German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen in 1895

These “x-ray” glasses were featured alongside

(Chris Baraniuk, “The Secret History of X-Ray

other gag gifts like “whoopee cushions” and

Specs,” July 19, 2016, BBC online). It wasn’t

“joy buzzers” in full-page advertisements that

long after that “x-ray” vision entered the popu-

boasted “A TREASURE CHEST OF FUN.” “Look

lar imagination, and in 1906, the first x-ray

at your friend,” the ad reads. “Is that really his

glasses were patented. The sci-fi craze of

body you see under his clothes? Loads of

the 1950s and ‘60s helped popularize the ver-

laughs and fun at parties.”

sion of “x-ray specs” that Basquiat depicts in Untitled (Magic Worms), a pair of cardboard

Sold for a full dollar, the “x-ray” glasses were

glasses that promised viewers the cheeky op-

a favorite item that Basquiat repeatedly de-

portunity to see beneath a person’s clothes to

picted over the source of his career. He even

their naked body underneath.

featured x-ray specs in two postcards created under his SAMO moniker between 1978 and ‘80. In these early works, Basquiat collaged elements from actual comic book pages that he enlivened with graphite, pen and colored pencil.

24

Upper right: Detail of Untitled (Magic Worms) featuring x-ray specs, 1984. © The Estate of Jean-­ Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York.

Left: Original Advertisement for “X-Ray Vision”

by Slimline Company, Newark, N.J. Courtesy Kirk Demarais. Opposite page: An example of x-ray specs as seen in their packaging. Courtesy Kirk Demarais.

25

CHARLIE PARKER’S CRAZEOLOGY

BASQUIAT GREW UP listening to his fa-

In Untitled (Magic Worms), Basquiat includes

ther’s jazz records as a child, and his paintings

the phrase “CRAZEOLOGY” near the lower

and drawings have often featured the pan-

edge of the paper sheet, just above his own

theon of jazz legends, with his hero Charlie

signature. Lingering like a visual coda that

Parker the single most frequently recurring

finishes the drawing with a final flourish,

figure. “Basquiat considered the musician a

CRAZEOLOGY refers to Charlie Parker’s leg-

formative influence,” Lotte Johnson has writ-

endary album of the same name, recorded on

ten in the Barbican Art Gallery’s Boom for Real

Dial records in 1947.

catalogue, and he claimed that he’d “go crazy” if he did “not listen to his music daily.” (Lotte Johnson, quoted in Dieter Buchhart, ed., Basquiat: Boom for Real, Barbican Art Gallery, London, 2017, p. 169).

The 78 Dial Records vinyl Crazeology Charlie Parker Sextet, 1947. Upper right: Detail of Untitled (Magic Worms) featuring Crazeology, 1984. © The Estate of Jean-­Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York.

Opposite: The artist with CPRKR, 1982.

26

27

H. W. JANSON’S THE HISTORY OF ART

lower edge, Basquiat includes the phrase “AHURA MAZDA (LIGHT OVER EVIL),” that he lifted from the text on the same page. Ahuramazda was the supreme divinity of the Zoroastrian religion, and refers to the beliefs of the Ancient Persians who built the Audience Hall.

BASQUIAT INCLUDES SEVERAL esoteric references to ancient Art History in Untitled (Magic Worms). These can be traced to a 1977

Directly below his line drawing of the Audience

edition of H.W. Janson’s History of Art: A Survey of the Major Visual

Hall, Basquiat writes out the description of a well-

Arts from the Dawn of History to the Present Day that Basquiat must

known Sumerian sculpture that is featured on page

have had in his studio. This weighty tome is still required reading in

38 of History of Art in a full-color illustration. This

many college-level Art History courses across the U.S., and Basquiat

is the “Billy Goat and Tree,” created in Ur around

includes at least three references from History of Art in Untitled

2600 B.C.

(Magic Worms).

As a self-taught artist who never received proper The schematic line drawing of the Audience Hall of Darius and Xerxes

artistic training, Basquiat nevertheless possessed

that Basquiat depicts in the upper left corner of Untitled (Magic

a nearly encyclopedic knowledge of Art History. As

Worms) can be located on page 79 of History of Art, in a black-and-

a child, he made frequent visits to the Metropolitan

white photograph. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Audience

Museum of Art in New York and the Brooklyn

Hall of Darius and Xerxes was located in ancient Persepolis and was

Museum of Art alongside his mother, Matilda, and

constructed during the Persian empire around 500 B.C. Near the

he was a voracious reader. His knowledge on such diverse subjects as world history, politics, poetry, music and Art History frequently pepper his work.

Upper: Billy Goat and Tree. Offering stand from Ur. c. 2600 B.C. Wood, gold, and lapis lazuli, height 20” Lower: Ahuramazda relief, ancient Persepolis, a capital of the Achaemenid Empire 550–330 BC, Iran © iStock: Radiokukka.

Opposite Upper: Detail of Untitled (Magic Worms), 1984. © The Estate of Jean-­Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York. Opposite Lower: Remains of the ceremonial stairway leading to the royal audience hall of Darius and Xerxes, Persepolis. Photograph circa 1930.

28

29

MAGIC WORMS ©

IN THE 1950S AND ‘60S, “MAGIC WORMS” were marketed as reallife pets that magically sprung to life once coming into contact with water.

Offering “instant life,” these novelties—much like “sea monkeys” and a similar product called “Instant Fish”—were derived from tiny crustaceans that were shipped through the mail while in a state of suspended animation. This process, called “cryptobiosis,” allowed the “magic worms” to spring into life once their contents were mixed with water. “Magic worms” answered the call of the “novelty aquarium” craze that was popular at the time. They share similarities with other vintage “real life” toys that were not sold in stores; “Uncle Milton’s Ant Farm” is a classic example.

Basquiat must have enjoyed the line drawing of the wriggling worm as it appeared in the “Magic Worms” advertisement, since he rendered them twice on the same sheet in Untitled (Magic Worms). The worms’ capability to regenerate themselves also mimics the action of the comic books in which they appeared, since its heroes and villains often fell prey to mysterious, scientific events that affected their growth, such as Spiderman (nuclear radiation), the Hulk (gamma rays) and the Flash (electrified chemicals).

Above: Detail of Untitled (Magic Worms), 1984. © The Estate of Jean-­Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York. Left: Source image for Untitled (Magic Worms), Original advertisement for Honor House Product Corporation, Lynbrook, N.Y. Courtesy Kirk Demarais.

Opposite: Packet of magic worms.

30

31

RELATED PAINTINGS AND WORKS ON PAPER

BY JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT Basquiat’s Untitled (Magic Worms) was a Rosetta Stone of sorts for the artist. He would use elements of the drawing in a number of paintings and works on paper throughout his career. We have illustrated 8 of those works and have shown the pertinent parts in high color/contrast for easy legibility, and have ghosted out the backgrounds of the remainder of the work.

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled, 1984. Oil and oilstick on paper. © The Estate of Jean-­Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York 32

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (Onion Gum), 1985. Paper collage on paper.

The Brant Foundation, Greenwich, CT. Formerly Collection of Andy Warhol. © The Estate of Jean-­Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York 33

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Onion Gum, 1983. Acrylic and oilstick on canvas. © The Estate of Jean-­Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York

Jean-Michel Basquiat, M.T., 1984. Oil and silkscreen on canvas.

Collection Alex Rodriguez. © The Estate of Jean-­Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York

34

35

Alto Saxophone, 1986. Oilstick, colored pencil and graphite on paper.

Collection Bischofberger, Mӓnnendorf-Zurich, Switzerland. © The Estate of Jean-­Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York

Alto Saxophone (detail), 1986. Oilstick, colored pencil and graphite on paper.

Collection Bischofberger, Mӓnnendorf-Zurich, Switzerland. © The Estate of Jean-­Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York

36

37

Jean-Michel Basquiat, (SAMO X-Ray Vision) postcard, c. 1978. Collage and mixed media on paper. © The Estate of Jean-­Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York

Jean-Michel Basquiat, (Anti) Product Postcard, c. 1980. Collage and mixed media on paper. © The Estate of Jean-­Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York 38

39

40

41

NY Guide for Prospective Buyers

Sale Information Sale begins at 5pm

Auction & Viewing Location 450 Park Avenue New York 10022 Auction Thursday, 17 May 2018 Admission to this sale is by ticket only.

Please call +1 212 940 1236 or email tickets@phillips.com Viewing 4 – 16 May Monday – Saturday 10am – 6pm Sunday 12pm – 6pm Sale Designation When sending in written bids or making enquiries please refer to this sale as NY010318 or 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale.

Absentee and Telephone Bids tel +1 212 940 1228 fax +1 212 924 1749 bidsnewyork@phillips.com

20th Century & Contemporary Art Department Head of Sale Amanda Lo Iacono +1 212 940 1278 aloiacono@phillips.com Associate Specialist Katherine Lukacher +1 212 940 1215 klukacher@phillips.com Researcher/Writer Patrizia Koenig +1 212 940 1279 pkoenig@phillips.com Administrator Paula Campolieto +1 212 940 1255 pcampolieto@phillips.com Copyright & Special Catalogues Coordinator Roselyn Mathews +1 212 940 1319 rmathews@phillips.com Property Manager Ryan Falkowitz +1 212 940 1376 rfalkowitz@phillips.com Photography Jean Bourbon Matt Kroenig Kent Pell Marta Zagozdzon Auction License 2013224 Auctioneers Hugues Joffre - 2028495 Sarah Krueger - 1460468 Henry Highley - 2008889 Adam Clay - 2039323 Jonathan Crockett - 2056239 Kaeli Deane - 2058810 Samuel Mansour - 2059023 Rebecca Tooby-Desmond - 2058901 Catalogues Danielle Polovets +1 212 940 1240 catalogues@phillips.com $35/€25/£22 at the gallery Client Accounting Sylvia Leitao +1 212 940 1231 Michael Carretta +1 212 940 1232 Buyer Accounts Dawniel Perry +1 212 940 1371 Seller Accounts Carolina Swan +1 212 940 1253 Client Services 450 Park Avenue +1 212 940 1200

Special thanks to Haley Rose Cohen and April Jacobs of Bonfire, for their assistance in the research, design and layout of this catalogue.

Shipping Steve Orridge +1 212 940 1370 Oscar Samingoen +1 212 940 1373 Anaar Desai +1 212 940 1320 Deren Khan +1 212 940 1335

Each Phillips auction is governed by the applicable Conditions of Sale and Authorship Warranty.

All prospective bidders should read these sections carefully.

They govern the purchasing agreement under which you buy at auction from Phillips. They may be also amended by saleroom addendum or auctioneer’s announcement during the auction.

The complete Conditions of Sale and Authorship Warranty applicable to this auction (Version 9-12-2017) are found online at phillips.com, along with detailed information on each lot.

Pre-Sale Estimates Pre-sale estimates are intended as a guide for prospective buyers. Any bid within the high and low estimate range should, in our opinion, offer a chance of success. However, many lots achieve prices below or above the pre-sale estimates. Where “Estimate on Request” appears, please contact the specialist department for further information. It is advisable to contact us closer to the time of the auction as estimates can be subject to revision. Pre-sale estimates do not include the buyer’s premium or any applicable taxes.

All Lots are Subject to ‘Buyer’s Premium’ Phillips charges the successful bidder a commission, or buyer’s premium, on the hammer price of each lot sold. The buyer’s premium is payable by the buyer as part of the total purchase price at the following rates: 25% of the hammer price up to and including $300,000, 20% of the portion of the hammer price above $300,000 up to and including $4,000,000 and 12.5% of the portion of the hammer price above $4,000,000.

Condition and Condition Reports Phillips does not warrant or guarantee condition on any lot.

Solely as a convenience to clients, Phillips may provide condition reports on many lots, which are also available online on the lot detail pages. If there is not a condition report available, that is not a representation that a lot is in perfect condition. While condition reports are prepared honestly and carefully, our staff are not professional restorers or trained conservators. We therefore encourage all prospective buyers to inspect all lots at our pre-sale exhibitions, and contact our staff with any questions.

Bidding at Auction You may bid in the auction in person, online, on the phone, or by placing an absentee bid. The easiest way to arrange or register to bid at auction is to set up a client account online. Go to our homepage, phillips.com and fill out the account form. When you want to register for an auction, click Register on sale pages or lot detail pages, and you’ll confirm your account details, be asked for a credit card number for identification purposes and our Bids Department will process your request. We recommend registering at least 24 hours prior to sale to ensure that you can bid. Good luck!

Transport and Shipping As a free service for buyers, Phillips will wrap purchased lots for hand carry only. Alternatively, we will either provide packing, handling and shipping services or coordinate with shipping

agents in order to facilitate such services for property purchased at Phillips. In the event that the property is collected in New York by the buyer or the buyer’s designee (including any private carrier) for subsequent transport out of state, Phillips may be required by law to collect New York sales tax, regardless of the lot’s ultimate destination. Please refer to Paragraph 17 of the Conditions of Sale for more information.

Some lots are sold under special conditions. Phillips uses the following symbols to designate these lots: O ◊ Guaranteed Property The seller of lots designated with the symbol O has been guaranteed a minimum price financed solely by Phillips. Where the guarantee is provided by a third party or jointly by us and a third party, the property will be denoted with the symbols O ◊.

When a third party has financed all or part of our financial interest in a lot, it assumes all or part of the risk that the lot will not be sold and will be remunerated via a fixed fee, a percentage of the hammer price or the buyer’s premium or some combination of the foregoing. The third party may bid on the guaranteed lot during the auction. If the third party is the successful bidder, the remuneration may be netted against the purchase price. Where Phillips has guaranteed a minimum price on every lot in the catalogue, Phillips will not designate each lot with the symbol(s) for the guaranteed property but will state our financial interest at the front of the catalogue. ∆ Property in Which Phillips Has an Ownership Interest Lots with this symbol indicate that Phillips owns the lot in whole or in part or has an economic interest in the lot equivalent to an ownership interest.

•No Reserve Unless indicated by a •, all lots in this catalogue are offered subject to a reserve. A reserve is the confidential value established between Phillips and the seller and below which a lot may not be sold. The reserve for each lot will not exceed the low pre-sale estimate. Σ Regulated Species Items made of or incorporating certain designated plant or animal material, including but not limited to coral, crocodile, ivory, whalebone, Brazilian rosewood, rhinoceros horn or tortoiseshell, (irrespective of age, percentage, or value), may require a license or certificate prior to exportation and additional licenses or certificates upon importation to any foreign country.

Please note that the ability to obtain an export license or certificate does not ensure the ability to obtain an import license or certificate in another country, and vice versa. We recommend that prospective bidders check with their own local restrictions regarding such requirements prior to placing a bid. It is the buyer’s sole responsibility to obtain any necessary export or import licenses or certificates as well as any other required documentation. Please note that lots containing potentially regulated plant or animal material are marked as a convenience to our clients, but Phillips does not accept liability for errors or for failing to mark lots containing protected or regulated species.

phillips.com