Basquiat’s World: Works Formerly from the Collection of Francesco Pellizzi to Headline Phillips’ Spring Season Across the Globe

Jean-Michel Basquiat_Untitled (ELMAR)

A testament to the auction house’s unwavering commitment to the legacy of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Phillips will offer three magnificent paintings by the artist this Spring, all formerly from the original collection of Francesco Pellizzi and the Pellizzi Family. Professor Pellizzi was the co-founder and editor of the journal Res, Anthropology and Aesthetics, published by the Peabody at Harvard and Chicago University Press. Each of the works was acquired by Pellizzi from Annina Nosei in the early 1980s, a pivotal point in the artist’s career, and remained in his collection for decades. Phillips’ Evening Sales in New York and Hong Kong mark the first time that these important works will be offered publicly. Untitled (ELMAR), 1982, and Untitled (Portrait of a Famous Ballplayer), 1981, will be sold in New York on 14 May, with Native Carrying Some Guns, Bibles, Amorites on Safari, 1982, being offered two weeks later in Hong Kong on 31 May. Prior to the sales, the three works will be unveiled in New York for an exhibition open from 8-14 April, followed by a tour to Los Angeles from 23-25 April, marking the last time that they will be on view together. Native Carrying Some Guns, Bibles, Amorites on Safari, 1982, will be on view in Taipei from 4-5 May, followed by the preview in Hong Kong from 22-31 May.

Jean-Michel Basquiat_Native Carrying Some Guns, Bibles, Amorites on Safari

Robert Manley, Deputy Chairman and Worldwide Co-Head of Department, said, “Phillips is proud to have become the house of Basquiat over the past decade. From the sale of Flexiblefor US$45 million from the artist’s estate, to the US$85 million sale of Untitled, 1982, from the Maezawa Collection, to our role as a lead sponsor of the Basquiat family’s King Pleasure exhibition, Phillips’ celebration of the artist’s genius extends beyond the saleroom. We are now honored to announce this incredible group of works, boasting some of Basquiat’s most iconic imagery with equally impressive provenance and exhibition history. An inspired collector, Francesco Pellizzi acquired timeless works that underscore Basquiat’s enduring significance and artistic vision, as they continue to inspire and provoke thought forty years later.” classicist and an anthropologist by training, who had studied with Claude Lévi-Strauss in Paris, Professor Pellizzi wrote in one of his many essays on art*, “A ‘good eye,’—I’ve always had trouble understanding what that expression meant—is, if anything, the capacity to connect with what is truly unprecedented (hence “disturbing” if only for a little while).”

Jean-Michel Basquiat_Untitled (Portrait of a Famous Ballplayer)

Leading the group of works being offered is Untitled (ELMAR), created in 1982 and acquired by the Pellizzi Family just two years later [illustrated page one]. At nearly eight feet (240cm) wide, the monumental work is a cornerstone of Basquiat’s golden year, during which he transitioned from street art to gallery success. Emblematic of Basquiat’s best works, Untitled (ELMAR) is rich in iconography and self-referential imagery. On the left, a “fallen angel” figure, birdlike and adorned with the recurring crown-of-thorns motif—which doubles as a halo—hovers above a luminous blue sea of scribbled waves and the text “ELMAR”, suggesting a modern-day Icarus on the verge of descent. To the right, a radiant archer, also crowned, releases two arrows in his direction. Untitled (ELMAR) ultimately reflects Basquiat’s exploration of duality within his own identity and encapsulates the essence of the artist at the peak of his creative powers.

Francesco Clemente, Andy Warhol, and Jean-Michel Basquiat ©Francesco Pellizzi

EXHIBITION DATES:

  • New York | 8-14 April | 432 Park Avenue | All Three Works
  • Los Angeles | 23-25 April | 9041 Nemo St, West Hollywood, CA 90069, United States| All Three Works
  • Taipei | 4-5 May | BELLAVITA, No.28 Songren Rd, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan 110| Native Carrying Some Guns, Bibles, Amorites on Safari, 1982
  • New York | 4-14 May | 432 Park Avenue | Untitled (ELMAR), 1982, and Untitled (Portrait of a Famous Ballplayer), 1981
  • Hong Kong | 22 May – 31 May | G/F, WKCDA Tower, West Kowloon Cultural District, No. 8 Austin Road, West Kowloon | Native Carrying Some Guns, Bibles, Amorites on Safari, 1982