Name: Charles The First
Brand: Jean-Michel Basquiat
Rating: 5 (236 reviews)

Track auction value trend

The value of Jean-Michel Basquiat's Charles The First (unsigned) is estimated to be worth between £45,000 and £70,000. This screenprint, created in 2004, has shown consistent value growth over the past five years. The hammer price over the last five years has ranged from £30,159 in March 2021 to £66,678 in March 2024. This artwork has an auction history of 16 total sales since its entry to the market in October 2007. The edition size of this artwork is limited to 85.

Meaning & Analysis

Charles The First is a screen print in colours on wove paper by Jean-Michel Basquiat, produced in 1982. In this ode to musician Charlie Parker, a leading figure in the bebop scene which formed a fundamental inspiration for Basquiat’s own musical exploits, the artist once again aggrandizes the subject of the piece by adorning the image with crowns as well as other symbols and motifs signifying greatness.

The allusions to superheroes, including Thor, whose name is written beneath a crown on the left panel, and Superman via the singular S which appears across the image in various guises, reinforces the sense of adulation. The conflation of Charlie Parker with King Charles I is another instance of Basquiat inserting Black icons into narratives of nobility and royalty.

The writing which appears at the bottom left of the piece (“most young kings get their head cut off”) alludes to both the beheading of Charles I in 1649 at the age of 24, and the death of the aforementioned musician who died at the age of 34. The triptych contains striking biographical detail: for example, the name of Parker’s daughter Pree appears in the central panel.

Jean-Michel Basquiat's unique visual style has dominated the Urban Art scene, securing his status as one of the most successful African-American street artists of the 20th Century. Addressing themes of race, identity and culture within his expressive works, his distinctive painterly style and use of child-like iconography changed the course of art history forever. Artworks such as Undiscovered Genius place controversial subjects at the forefront of his narrative. Despite his tragically premature death at the age of 27, Basquiat's impact on the art scene is exemplified through the increase of his market value in the years since.