巴斯奇亞

《無題》創作於1982年，這一年被視為是巴斯奇亞藝術生涯最關重要之年，也是他開始在國際藝壇大放異彩的一年。1980年代初，巴斯奇亞受埃米利奧・馬佐利畫廊邀請前往意大利摩德納參加展覽，旅程中他創作了少量作品，其中包括《無題》。

作為是巴斯奇亞最具代表性的作品之一，《無題》不僅登上藝術家1996年出版的全作品集封面，也在他多場回顧展中作為核心作品來呈獻。《無題》曾經在2016年創下世界拍賣紀錄，今年隨著鉅作創作滿40週年，富藝斯很高興能將它再次帶到拍賣場上，並將於倫敦、洛杉磯及台北進行巡迴預展。

Basquiat’s pure brilliance is on full display in this monumental canvas, which measures almost eight feet tall and over 16 feet wide. Its striking horizontal format is likely a nod to another landmark image of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, which the artist saw at the Museum of Modern Art in New York as a child and later recalled left a strong impression on him.

Immediately recognizable by his short, vertical dreadlocks, Basquiat takes the guise of a demonic figure in Untitled, his violent rage declared by the blood red paint dripping from his horns. Rising against a fiery expanse of gestural color evoking the physicality of Abstract Expressionism, the devil subject is a distinct contrast to the artist’s depictions of martyrdom and embodies his interest in the dualities of heaven and hell, good and evil, and sacred and sinful. This masterpiece is unequivocally one of the finest examples of the distinctive iconography and painterly prowess that triumphantly marked the peak of his all-too-short career.