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JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT’S 1982 Untitled (Pestus) TO LEAD PHILLIPS’ FRIEZE WEEK SALES
Alongside Andy Warhol’s diamond dust Giorgio Armani portrait and Young Contemporary Voices including Sasha Gordon, Emma McIntyre and Flora Yukhnovich
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (Pestus), 1982 Estimate: £2,000,000-3,000,000 LONDON – 7 OCTOBER 2025 – Phillips unveils highlights of the Modern & Contemporary Art auctions in London on 16 and 18 October. Leading the Evening Sale is Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1982 work on paper Untitled (Pestus), alongside a rare example of the artist’s representations of women represented by a 1985 work on canvas. The spotlight then falls on Andy Warhol’s diamond dust portrait of fashion icon Giorgio Armani, and Banksy’s 2005 Kate Moss, two works that explore the exchanges between glamour, art, and fashion. Further works by British stars include Jadé Fadojutimi and Flora Yukhnovich, and rising contemporary voices Sasha Gordon and Emma McIntyre, alongside a jewel-like portrait by Steven Shearer. The preview exhibition is open at Phillips’ Berkeley Square galleries from 9-18 October, remaining on view throughout both sales: the Evening Sale (16 October 5pm), and the Day Sale (18 October 1pm). Olivia Thornton, Phillips’ Head of Modern & Contemporary Art, Europe, said, “Frieze Week is a moment when London truly comes alive with art, and we are excited to be part of that energy. This season, we are proud to offer a sale that reflects the vibrancy of contemporary collecting, bringing together key names, emerging voices, and works that challenge and inspire.” Leading the sale, Untitled (Pestus), 1982, emerges from what is widely regarded as Basquiat’s breakthrough year, a time when his raw energy and bold visual language blasted onto the New York art scene. In this work, he fuses iconic motifs including his three-pointed crown and cryptic textual elements with insightful social critique. A further highlight is a rare example of Basquiat’s depiction of a female nude. Untitled. Executed in 1985, at a pivotal moment in the artist’s practice where he turned his attention more closely to his intimate circle, the painting weaves together multiple art-historical and personal references. Basquiat’s deep engagement with classical antiquity is captured here, invoking the figure of Venus as both an aesthetic ideal and a coded personal emblem. Warhol’s 1981 portrait of Giorgio Armani is one of only two known versions to include diamond dust. Based on Polaroids taken when the two first met the year before, the shimmering glow of the surface evokes the flashing bulbs of press cameras and the glamour of 1980s high fashion. Warhol long admired Armani’s elegance and saw in his name the embodiment of luxury; Armani in turn held deep respect for Warhol’s commitment to his work revering him as the greatest artist of his generation.
An icon of 21st-century popular culture, Banksy’s Kate Moss is one of a small edition of five silkscreened works created in 2005 (estimate: £700,000-1,000,000). It was first presented exactly 20 years ago as the lead image of Banksy’s infamous Crude Oils exhibition. Just as Warhol transformed the face of Marilyn into an emblem of mid-20th-century celebrity culture, Banksy reinvented Warhol’s take on fame and glamour at the turn of the millennium in his now-legendary Kate Moss. Pest Control - Banksus Militus Vandalus is Banksy’s taxidermy rat outfitted with graffiti tools and a spray-painted message reading “our time will come.” In a characteristically subversive move by the artist, this unique and historic piece was installed in the Natural History Museum in London for approximately two hours before being discovered and removed (estimate: £350,000-450,000). Young Contemporary Voices
British Female Painters The Evening Sale presents two works by established British contemporary artists, Flora Yukhnovich and Jadé Fadojutimi. Yukhnovich’s My Body knows Un-Heard of Songs draws inspiration from Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s The Swing and is an important early example of her signature fusion of Rococo aesthetics with contemporary abstraction. Fadojutimi’s The Ties of Greed, executed in the same year, showcases the artist’s mastery of layered colour and energetic linework. Created during Fadojutimi’s MA studies at the Royal College of Art, it reflects a defining moment in her practice.
Further Highlights
Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale The Day Sale on 18 October offers 111 lots across a broad spectrum of modern and contemporary work. Leading the selection of blue-chip American Pop art is a striking Keith Haring bronze panel, joined by pieces from Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and their contemporaries. On the institutional front, Anselm Kiefer, Yoshitomo Nara and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye anchor a selection of artists whose reputations span major museum shows. Younger voices such as Louis Fratino, Poppy Jones, Georg Wilson, Joseph Yaeger, and Elizabeth Peyton underscore Phillips’ commitment to bridging blue-chip legacy and the next generation of contemporary talent.
Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale Auction: 16 October 5pm BST 2025 Auction viewing: 9 – 16 October Location: 30 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6EX Click here for more information: https://www.phillips.com/auction/UK010525 Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale Auction: 18 October 1pm BST 2025 Auction viewing: 9 – 18 October Location: 30 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6EX Click here for more information: https://www.phillips.com/auction/UK010625 |
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