The Guilt of Gold Teeth
ArtistJean-Michel Basquiat
Year1982
MediumAcrylic, spray paint and oilstick on canvas
MovementNeo-expressionism
Dimensions240 cm × 421.3 cm (94 1/2 in × 165 7/8 in)

The Guilt of Gold Teeth is a painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1982. The painting, which depicts Baron Samedi, sold for $40 million at Christie's in November 2021.[1]

History

The Guilt of Gold Teeth was created Jean-Michel Basquiat during his second stay in Modena, Italy, as his star was rapidly ascending.[2] Basquiat had a planned show at Emilio Mazzoli's gallery in Modena in March 1982. Feeling exploited, the show was cancelled because Basquiat was pressured to churn out eight canvases in one week.[3] He severed ties with Mazzoli and his New York dealer Annina Nosei shortly thereafter.[4]

The painting—which measures almost 14 feet across—features Baron Samedi, chief of the Gede family of lwa in Haitian Vodou, responsible for accepting individuals into death and resurrection.[5] The keeper of death's iconography includes a black top hat and long black coat, and his face painted like a skull.[6] Basquiat, whose father was from Haiti, also portrayed Baron Samedi in his 1987 painting Después de un Puño.[7]

The Guilt of Gold Teeth was sold at Sotheby's for $387,500 in 1998.[8] In November 2021, it sold for $40 million at Christie's 21st Century Art Evening Sale in New York.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Porterfield, Carlie. "Rare Jean-Michel Basquiat Painting Sells For $40 Million At Auction". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  2. ↑ Block, Fang (October 13, 2021). "Christie's to Offer Two Jean-Michel Basquiat Masterpieces From 1982". www.barrons.com. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  3. ↑ McGuigan, Cathleen (February 10, 1985). "New Art, New Money". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  4. ↑ Greenberger, Alex (2021-10-13). "$40 M. Basquiat Painting Headed to Christie's Looks to Join Artist's Most Expensive Works". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  5. ↑ Steiger, Brad (2010-09-01). Real Monsters, Gruesome Critters, and Beasts from the Darkside. Visible Ink Press. p. 376. ISBN 978-1-57859-347-7.
  6. ↑ Davies, Carole Boyce (2008). Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora: Origins, Experiences, and Culture. ABC-CLIO. p. 821. ISBN 978-1-85109-700-5.
  7. ↑ Saggese, Jordana Moore (2014-05-30). Reading Basquiat: Exploring Ambivalence in American Art. Univ of California Press. p. 821. ISBN 978-0-520-27624-6.
  8. ↑ Goldstein, Caroline (2021-10-13). "A Basquiat Painting Picked Up in 1998 for Less Than $400,000 Could Make More Than $40 Million at Christie's in November". Artnet News. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
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