Three distinct figures sprawl across a seven-foot-wide, four-foot-tall landscape canvas, the man in the center and the woman on the right represent Jean-Michel .
Three distinct figures sprawl across a seven-foot-wide, four-foot-tall landscape canvas, the man in the center and the woman on the right represent Jean-Michel Basquiat’s parents, Gerard and Matilda. The artist portrays himself on the left, in this deeply personal triple portrait, conveying the fraught yet devoted familial bonds with all three figures crowned by halos. Simple, heavy black lines form complex figures, with only their faces fully flooded with color. Matilda’s figure exudes femininity while Gerard’s stance is punctuated by an oversized raised hand, perhaps hinting at physical discipline. Serene blue acrylic patches, cradling the artist, accentuating the father’s magnified hand, and barely brushing by the mother’s leg, draw together the family unit.
Baby Boom (1982), an acrylic, oilstick, and paper collage on canvas mounted on tied wood supports, is expected to fetch between $20 million and $30 million when it leads the 21st Century Evening Sale on May 14 at Christie’s New York during the Spring Marquee Week. Myriad art historical and personal references abound, inviting rigorous contemplation of this masterpiece.
“From a historical standpoint, he’s really elevating the three figures. He’s adorned them with halos and crowns, and in this triptych format, it makes you think of altar pieces and the Renaissance. There’s also a very spiritual tone to this. Not only is it autobiographical, it also has layered art historical references. And it goes back to his inherent and stylistic choices that place him within history and the art historical canon more widely,” Isabella Lauria, head of the 21st Century Evening Sale, said in a phone interview. “It’s just beautifully rendered.
