Jean-Michel Basquiat

signed and inscribed SCIPIO A. SCIP
Executed in 1983.

Private Collection, USA
artnet Auctions, 24 April 2012, lot 64789
Private Collection, USA
artnet Auctions, 18 December 2014, lot 105622
Acquired by the present owner from the above sale

This work is in very good condition overall. Evidence of light discolouration of paper along the edges of the work which is consistent with the work's age. There are minor signs of abrasion scarcely scattered across the work, primarily along the left edge. This work is not examined out of its frame. Framed in museum glass.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Drawing forms a major part of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s artistic oeuvre as important documentation of his personal observations, ranging from street life and popular culture to themes of class, race, and world history. Basquiat doodled often, spontaneously turning any random object into a medium of artistic expression. For instance, the current work is part of a catalogue published on the occasion of the exhibition Champions held at Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York City in 1983. The exhibition included a group of young rising artists such as Donald Baechler, Keith Haring and Basquiat himself. In the same year, Basquiat was included in the 1983 Biennial Exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. At the age of twenty-two, he was then and still is one of the youngest artists ever to be included in the Whitney Biennial. This drawing is a great example presenting the artist’s iconic recurring imagery of crowned grimacing skull-like faces drawn in his loose and spontaneous style. The inscription nearby that reads ‘SCIPIO A.’ refers to the Roman warrior Scipio Africanus, whose agnomen ‘Africanus’ was given to him to honour his successful conquests in several countries in Africa. The name is also found in Basquiat’s 1982 painting Jawbone of an Ass, listed amongst a pantheon of historical figures such as Hannibal, Socrates and Alexander the Great. The deliberately crossed out name is a powerful pictorial device that the artist employed to reject the glorification of colonialism as well as White hegemonic society. While the white figure is topped by a halo or a crown of thorns which is symbolic of martyrdom and sainthood, the black figure is equally crowned in majestic triumph. It is a sound social commentary on the racial dichotomy which the artist had experienced having grown up in Brooklyn, New York.