Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
One of the most famous American artists of all time, Jean-Michel Basquiat announced himself to New York’s stage as a street poet and subversive street artist in the late 1970s. His unique blend of enigmatic symbols, icons, and aphorisms graced abandoned city walls. Basquiat later turned to painting and drawing, creating an iconoclastic oeuvre centring around the human figure.
He utilised the creative potential of free association and past experiences, resulting in deeply personal, often autobiographical works. Drawing inspiration from an array of sources, including urban street culture, music, poetry, Christian iconography, African-American and Aztec cultural histories, and diverse art historical references, Basquiat's art is a reflection of his life's kaleidoscopic colours.
Basquiat at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, 1984.
Image: © Tate, London, Artwork: © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Licensed by Artestar, New YorkWhen faced by the titan-critic and post-war elder statesman Henry Geldzahler, Basquiat pricked his horns and laid out that his subject matter was 'Royalty, heroism, and the streets' i. In many ways, the present is a triumphant summary of these three pivotal themes. Basquiat portrays a tribal king, whose raised, interlocked arms exude self-assurance and sovereignty, emblematic of his heroic essence. In this work, Basquiat appears to coronate himself.
Born in Brooklyn in 1960 to a Haitian-Puerto Rican family, the artist was forced to endure the deeply embedded racism of American society. His experiences of marginalisation profoundly impacted his life and work, and is reflected in his references to outsider cultures and critiques of mainstream politics.
Basquiat’s narration of the heroic black male was a focal theme in his body of work. At a young age, while visiting museums, Basquiat noticed the absence of people of colour in Western art, relegated to inferior positions. In response, he elevated his ‘black heroes’ in his paintings, predominantly sportsmen and jazz musicians, and even self-portraits, as key figures, forcefully countering this racial imbalance. He later moved on to conveying them as divine beings or kings, with the original Flexible, executed in 1983, ushering in this new dawn of the black male.
The original painting of the print: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Flexible, 1984
Sold by Phillips New York, 17 May 2018 for US$45,315,000 (premium)
Artwork: © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New YorkThis figure is a griot - a storyteller, musician, and purveyor of oral history from West African culture, and is as much a divine apparition as a living human being. One of Basquiat’s constant avatars, his depiction of griots gives voice to a legacy that was long suppressed, emphasising the importance of storytelling and oral history in preserving cultural identity for future generations. With its austere and assertive background surface, the figure references sculptural representations of the deific. An oversized head, wide, slanted and partially closed eyes, a broad flat nose and mouth with prominent teeth, and cowry shells surrounding the eyes and along the hairline all indicate that Basquiat was influenced by sub-Saharan African source material. Instilling his figure with the same attributes of dignity, power and the sacred, the artist made an even stronger statement by devising a new picture support for his paintings of divinity figures.
Bamana peoples, Mother and Child, 18th Century
Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkEvoking malleability and adaptability, Flexible is a term that, is defined as bending without breaking, easily moulded, and responsive to new circumstances. The unbridled and uninhibited arm movements captured reveal a sense of freedom and playfulness, a deviation from the orderly and regimented picture support. This unconventional approach is a testament to Basquiat's confident and audacious artistic vision. He stretches the limits of the human form, capturing the figure's arms as they extend upward and join together, symbolising both heroism and sanctity. Basquiat takes risks, exploring new territory and expanding his pictorial language, confident in his ability to mould and shape his subjects to his will: limbs are elastic, strong, and resilient, contorting but never breaking.
Collector’s Digest
-
The work is a posthumous release stamped and signed by Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, the artist's sisters and administrators of the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
-
Previous editions have performed exceptionally well at auction, most recently for US$88,000 at Phillips New York in October 2021.
-
The self-taught painter embraced graffiti before committing to a studio practice. Across his oeuvre, Basquiat drew on his own Caribbean heritage; a convergence of African American, African, and Aztec cultural histories; classical themes; and pop cultural figures including athletes and musicians. The immediacy and intellectual depth of his paintings won him widespread acclaim both before and after his untimely death at the age of 27.
-
Basquiat’s paintings now belong in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among others.
i Henry Geldzahler, ‘Art: From Subways to Soho, Jean-Michel Basquiat’, Interview, 13 January 1983
-
Provenance
EricArt UK Gallery, London
Acquired from the above by the present ownerLiterature
Fred Hoffman, The Art of Jean-Michel Basquiat , New York, 2017, p. 244 (original work illustrated, p. 46)
352
Flexible
numbered 'AP 10/15' lower right
screenprint in colours on heavy wove paper with full margins
153.5 x 116 cm. (60 3/8 x 45 5/8 in.)
Published by Flatiron Editions, New York in 2016 based on a 1984 painting, this work is artist's proof 10 from an edition of 85 plus 15 artist’s proofs, and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat and signed, numbered and dated by administrators of the Estate.
Estimate
HK$450,000 - 650,000
€53,100-76,600
$57,700-83,300
Sold for HK$533,400
Anastasia Salnikoff
Head of Mid-Season Sales
+852 2318 2014
anastasiasalnikoff@phillips.com
Thomas Perazzi
Head of Watches, Asia
+852 2318 2001
WatchesHK@phillips.com
Disruptors: Evening Sale of 20th Century & Contemporary Art, Design and Watches
Hong Kong Auction 25 May 2023
301
Anna Park
Nude
Estimate HK$500,000 - 700,000
Sold for HK$698,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
302
Wing Shya
Three works: Happy Together Stills (i) The Talk at Bar Sur; (ii) Prologue 2; (iii) Two to Tango
Estimate HK$80,000 - 120,000
Sold for HK$165,100
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
303
Rolex
Ref. 6536/1
Model: Submariner
An impressive, attractive and rare stainless steel diver’s wristwatch with center seconds, black lacquered dial and braceletEstimate HK$240,000 - 480,000
Sold for HK$508,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
304
Patek Philippe
Ref. 5207P-001
An exceptionally fine and rare platinum perpetual calendar minute repeating tourbillon wristwatch with small seconds, moon phases, leap year, day and night indication, additional solid caseback, setting pin, Certificate of Origin and presentation boxEstimate HK$4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Sold for HK$4,826,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
305
Cartier
Ref. 2774
Model: Crash
A rare, possibly unique and exquisite white gold and diamond-set asymmetrical wristwatch with Certificate of Origin and presentation boxEstimate HK$500,000 - 1,000,000
Sold for HK$990,600
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
306
Audemars Piguet
Ref. 14802ST
Model: Royal Oak Jubilee
An extremely attractive and rare limited edition stainless steel wristwatch with salmon dial, date, bracelet, certificate and presentation box, numbered 622 of a limited edition of 1,000 pieces, made in commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Royal OakEstimate HK$600,000 - 1,200,000
Sold for HK$952,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
307
Fernando Campana and Humberto Campana
'Bolotas' armchair
Estimate HK$120,000 - 180,000
Sold for HK$165,100
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
308
Mr.
Misaki
Estimate HK$2,000,000 - 3,000,000
Sold for HK$3,302,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
309
This lot is no longer available.
310
Yayoi Kusama
I Who Sing in Celebration of Humanity
Estimate HK$7,500,000 - 9,500,000
Sold for HK$8,509,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
311
André Butzer
Untitled
Estimate HK$700,000 - 900,000
Sold for HK$889,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
312
Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret
Bookshelf with cabinets, model no. 14, from 'L’Équipement de la Maison' series
Estimate HK$150,000 - 200,000
Sold for HK$304,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
313
Cartier
Ref. WGTA0044
Model: Tank Asymétrique
A rare, fine and attractive limited edition yellow gold asymmetrical wristwatch with certificate and presentation box, numbered 89 of a limited edition of 100 piecesEstimate HK$200,000 - 400,000
Sold for HK$241,300
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
314
Rolex
Ref. 6241
Model: Cosmograph Daytona
An extremely rare and attractive yellow gold chronograph wristwatch with champagne dialEstimate HK$940,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for HK$1,092,200
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
315
Cartier
Ref. WGTA0088
Model: Tank Chinoise
A rare, "like-new" and elegant limited edition yellow gold rectangular-shaped wristwatch with warranty and presentation box, numbered 83 of a limited edition of 150 piecesEstimate HK$100,000 - 250,000
Sold for HK$165,100
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
316
This lot is no longer available.
317
KAWS
COMPANION
Estimate HK$4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
318
Andy Warhol
Figures on a Busy Street
Estimate HK$450,000 - 650,000
Sold for HK$444,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
319
Nicolas Party
Trees
Estimate HK$10,000,000 - 15,000,000
Sold for HK$12,550,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
320
David Hockney
The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011 (twenty eleven) - 4 May
Estimate HK$680,000 - 850,000
Sold for HK$1,079,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
321
Takashi Murakami & Virgil Abloh
"FLOWER"
Estimate HK$1,000,000 - 2,000,000
Sold for HK$2,921,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
322
Anish Kapoor
Non Object (Mirror)
Estimate HK$3,800,000 - 4,800,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
323
Gio Ponti
Coffee table
Estimate HK$120,000 - 180,000
Sold for HK$152,400
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
324
Gio Ponti
Pair of armchairs, model no. 247, from the 'Modern by Singer' series
Estimate HK$100,000 - 150,000
Sold for HK$114,300
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
325
Angel Otero
Bayamón
Estimate HK$700,000 - 1,000,000
Sold for HK$1,079,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
326
Stanley Whitney
Stay Song 27
Estimate HK$1,800,000 - 2,800,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
327
Rafa Macarrón
343 Almas
Estimate HK$800,000 - 1,200,000
Sold for HK$1,016,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
328
Vacheron Constantin
Ref. 44018
Model: 222
A very elegant and attractive yellow gold wristwatch with date and integrated braceletEstimate HK$250,000 - 500,000
Sold for HK$508,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
329
Audemars Piguet
Ref. 25654BA.OO.0944BA.01
Model: Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar
An extremely fine, rare and well-preserved yellow gold perpetual calendar wristwatch with MK I dial, moon phases and integrated braceletEstimate HK$470,000 - 940,000
Sold for HK$660,400
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
330
Patek Philippe
Ref. 3940
A rare and attractive yellow gold perpetual calendar wristwatch with moon phases, leap year, 24-hour indication, Certificate of Origin and presentation boxEstimate HK$200,000 - 400,000
Sold for HK$508,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
331
RETNA
He's A Criminal No Different From Me. One Could Argue I Could Be Painted With The Same Brush
Estimate HK$300,000 - 500,000
Sold for HK$762,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
332
This lot is no longer available.
333
José Parlá
New Language Forms
Estimate HK$380,000 - 580,000
Sold for HK$355,600
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
334
Takashi Murakami & Virgil Abloh
"ARROWS AND FLOWER"
Estimate HK$1,200,000 - 2,200,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
335
Aya Takano
In the 30th Year of the Showa, the Day the Fire Flowers Rose
Estimate HK$500,000 - 800,000
Sold for HK$635,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
336
Katherine Bernhardt
Six Papayas
Estimate HK$300,000 - 500,000
Sold for HK$368,300
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
337
Cartier
Ref. 1734
Model: Tank Américaine
A very fine and rare limited edition platinum wristwatch with salmon dial and presentation box, numbered 16 of a limited edition of 30 pieces made for the 150th anniversary of the Swiss ConfederationEstimate HK$100,000 - 200,000
Sold for HK$165,100
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
338
Patek Philippe
Ref. 5065A
Model: Aquanaut
An attractive and rare stainless steel wristwatch with center seconds, date and presentation boxEstimate HK$160,000 - 310,000
Sold for HK$330,200
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
339
Franck Muller
Ref. 2870 NADF
Model: Chronographe Double Face
A rare and attractive yellow gold double-faced chronograph wristwatch with two-tone silvered dials, pulsations, telemeter and tachymeter scales, Certificate of Origin and presentation boxEstimate HK$80,000 - 160,000
Sold for HK$190,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
340
Jean Prouvé
Sun shutter, designed for schools in Cameroon
Estimate HK$80,000 - 120,000
Sold for HK$101,600
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
341
Jean Prouvé
Sun shutter, designed for schools in Cameroon
Estimate HK$80,000 - 120,000
Sold for HK$101,600
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
342
Wolfgang Tillmans
paper drop (Studio) I
Estimate HK$100,000 - 150,000
Sold for HK$177,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
343
Wolfgang Tillmans
paper drop (London) II
Estimate HK$100,000 - 150,000
Sold for HK$139,700
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
344
Hiroshi Sugimoto
North Pacific Ocean, Ohkurosaki
Estimate HK$160,000 - 240,000
Sold for HK$215,900
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
345
Hiroshi Sugimoto
Bay of Sagami, Atami
Estimate HK$160,000 - 240,000
Sold for HK$228,600
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
346
Ron Arad
'Big Easy Volume 2' armchair
Estimate HK$200,000 - 300,000
Sold for HK$190,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
347
Gio Ponti
'Diamond' flatware service for 24
Estimate HK$190,000 - 280,000
Sold for HK$254,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
348
Vacheron Constantin
Ref. 49152/000A-9540
Model: Overseas Chronograph
A fine and rare stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with date, guarantee and presentation box, numbered 91 of a limited edition of 100 pieces made for the Greek marketEstimate HK$120,000 - 200,000
Sold for HK$165,100
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
349
Rolex
Ref. 16520
Model: Cosmograph Daytona
A very fine and well-preserved stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with bracelet, guarantee and presentation boxEstimate HK$180,000 - 280,000
Sold for HK$254,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
350
Audemars Piguet
Ref. 26300ST.OO.1110ST.08
Model: Royal Oak Chronograph
A fine and attractive stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with date, bracelet, Certificate of Authentication and presentation boxEstimate HK$160,000 - 320,000
Sold for HK$304,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
351
Rolex
Ref. 1680
Model: Submariner, “Red Sub”, MK II
A rare and attractive stainless steel diver’s wristwatch with center seconds, date, MK II dial, bracelet and presentation boxEstimate HK$120,000 - 300,000
Sold for HK$190,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
352
After Jean-Michel Basquiat
Flexible
Estimate HK$450,000 - 650,000
Sold for HK$533,400
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
353
Kenny Scharf
Unique Surfboard
Estimate HK$450,000 - 650,000
Sold for HK$406,400
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
354
Poul Kjærholm
'Hammock' lounge chair, model no. PK 24
Estimate HK$90,000 - 120,000
Sold for HK$114,300
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
355
Urwerk
Ref. UR-105M
Model: Dark Knight
A fine, rare and unusual limited edition titanium wristwatch with three-dimensional satellite hour display, power reserve, warranty and presentation box, numbered 10 of a limited edition of 77 piecesEstimate HK$180,000 - 280,000
Sold for HK$304,800
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
356No Reserve
Rolex
Ref. 126000
Model: Oyster Perpetual 36
A attractive stainless steel wristwatch with center seconds, “Tiffany” blue lacquer dial, bracelet, guarantee and presentation boxEstimate HK$60,000 - 120,000 •
Sold for HK$203,200
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
357No Reserve
Alain Silberstein
Ref. TMA1-002
Model: Tourbillon Volant
A very rare and unusual limited edition stainless steel semi-skeletonised tourbillon wristwatch with date, numbered 1 of a limited edition of 9 piecesEstimate HK$80,000 - 160,000 •
Sold for HK$139,700
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
358
KAWS and Estudio Campana
KAWS: MONSTER Chair
Estimate HK$400,000 - 600,000
Sold for HK$381,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
359
KAWS
UNTITLED
Estimate HK$500,000 - 700,000
Sold for HK$419,100
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
360
Hans J. Wegner
'Valet' chair, model no. 540
Estimate HK$40,000 - 60,000
Sold for HK$133,350
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
361
Arne Jacobsen
'Egg' chair model no. 3316 and later ottoman, model no. 3127
Estimate HK$30,000 - 50,000
Sold for HK$35,560
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
362
Yoshitomo Nara
Hand Searching
Estimate HK$400,000 - 600,000
Sold for HK$584,200
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.