Academic Study Of The Male Figure
Academic Study Of The Male Figure
Signed Print
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Price data unavailable
AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
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Medium: Screenprint
Edition size: 13
Year: 1983
Size: H 97cm x W 75cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Location | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2021 | Bonhams Los Angeles | United States | |||
| May 2019 | Swann Galleries | United States | |||
| April 2016 | Bonhams Los Angeles | United States | |||
| April 2014 | Christie's New York | United States | |||
| November 2009 | Phillips New York | United States | |||
| October 2009 | Christie's New York | United States | |||
| October 2007 | Christie's New York | United States |
Meaning & Analysis
Academic Study Of The Male Figure features a drawing of a male body as well as depictions of muscles and bones in isolation. The way in which various body parts are brought into chaotic proximity recalls da Vinci’s anatomical sketches. With his Anatomy series, Basquiat appears to carry the torch of the artists who followed the call made by theorist Leon Battista Alberti, who encouraged artists to depict the body as it appears in nature, rather than already-clothed.
Elements of the image transform before the viewer’s eyes. Subverting this focus on the body are the annotations that encroach on the body itself, such as the text reading ‘pecho’ on the figure’s abdomen. Body hair morphs into bubbles produced from rinso soap alongside flashes reading ‘NEW’, recalling the dark parodic edge of the artist’s canvas ‘Rinso’. ‘Goosefoot’ is crossed out - on the prevalence of crossing out in his works, Basquiat has noted: “Sometimes I just want to retract it. It might stick out a little too much - the words. So a line blends it into the rest of the painting at times.”
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.
