Da Vinci, Leg Of A Dog
Da Vinci, Leg Of A Dog
Signed Print
Jean-Michel Basquiat
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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: 45
Year: 1983
Size: H 101cm x W 79cm
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 | |||
| October 2016 | Swann Galleries | United States | |||
| April 2014 | Phillips New York | United States |
Meaning & Analysis
Leg Of Dog is a signed screen print depicting various anatomic drawings of canine body parts, including a food, teeth, jaw and legs. The dainty drawings recall the Anatomy series in their level of detail and care to faithfully represent anatomy, but the composition is more chaotic, with the body parts appearing to be haphazardly placed across the image. The way in which Jean-Michel Basquiat brings the same attention to detail to these canine anatomical studies as to his drawings of human anatomy has a humanising effect.
The repeated label of ‘Leg of a Dog from a Da Vinci’ is a direct acknowledgement of the extensive inspiration Basquiat took from the aforementioned artist. The influence of Da Vinci was so extensive that Basquiat devised a series of prints in direct homage to da Vinci, including Untitled (From Leonardo), 1983, where a series of bones and almost illegible annotations are drawn in red.
The skull which appears in this work, and throughout the artist’s body of work, reinforces Basquiat’s preoccupation with corporeality and mortality, but also highlights the impact of Da Vinci’s fascination with skulls. In the same way that da Vinci would depict the skull exterior and interior in the same image, such as in View of A Skull (1500), Basquiat often depicted anatomy in a way in which would allow the viewer to see the beneath the surface, such as in works like Head.
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.
