Basquiat's Leonardo-Inspired Canvas Heads to Christie's With $30 Million Estimate
On November 19, Christie's will host its 21st Century Evening Sale in New York, featuring a notable work by Jean-Michel Basquiat titled Untitled (Leonardo and His Five Grotesque Heads), expected to raise around $30 million. This 84-by-84-inch painting, which hasn't been available for over twenty years due to being held in a private European collection, draws inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci's grotesque heads and alludes to A Man Tricked by Gypsies (c. 1493). It also includes the phrases "Muy Fao" and "ALTER EGO." Ana Maria Celis from Christie's emphasized Basquiat's ties to art history. Notably, in 2017, Basquiat set a record for American artists with a $110.5 million sale, which was surpassed by Andy Warhol's $195 million in 2022.
Key facts
- Christie's 21st Century Evening Sale in New York takes place on November 19
- Untitled (Leonardo and His Five Grotesque Heads) is estimated "in the region of" $30 million
- The painting measures 84 by 84 inches and has been off public view for over two decades
- It comes from a private European collection
- Basquiat based the work on Leonardo da Vinci's A Man Tricked by Gypsies (formerly Five Grotesque Heads), c. 1493
- The canvas reads "Muy Fao," a misspelling of the Spanish muy feo, and "ALTER EGO"
- Basquiat's 1982 Untitled sold at Sotheby's in 2017 to Yusaku Maezawa for $110.5 million
- Andy Warhol's Shot Sage Blue Marilyn sold at Christie's in New York in 2022 for $195 million
Entities
Artists
- Jean-Michel Basquiat
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Andy Warhol
- Yusaku Maezawa
- Ana Maria Celis
Institutions
- Christie's
- Sotheby's
- Royal Collection
- Artlyst
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Western Europe
- United Kingdom
- London
- Paris
- France