Art Guru by Traver Dodorye

Art in Shoes by Dodorye

The Art of Jean-Michel Basquiat: Scarce, Costly and Coveted

Cheim and Read’s recent exhibition of approximately 35 works on paper by Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-88), from Feb 17-March 26, consisted entirely of those on loan from the estate and private collectors, with nothing for sale. “We showed the work for the pleasure of it,” gallery director John Cheim told ARTnewsletter, adding that the gallery does

NEW YORK—Cheim and Read’s recent exhibition of approximately 35 works on paper by Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-88), from Feb 17-March 26, consisted entirely of those on loan from the estate and private collectors, with nothing for sale. “We showed the work for the pleasure of it,” gallery director John Cheim told ARTnewsletter, adding that the gallery does have in its inventory a work or two by Basquiat that are for sale, at asking prices of more than $1 million.

The Basquiat estate is not currently represented by any gallery, although the artist’s works were sold in the past through the Robert Miller Gallery. However, Cheim’s connection to the artist is already well-established, since he is currently a member of the Basquiat authentication committee along with Gerard Basquiat, the artist’s father, who controls the estate.

The estate has “not that much” material, consisting of works on paper and paintings, though some of the pieces are “great things,” Cheim says. Nonetheless, he reports, “there is a scarcity of great pieces for sale,” and most of the artist’s important work is currently in collections or available only on the secondary market. “There’s just little out there,” he adds, noting that when such items come up for sale, they are more likely to appear at auction than at galleries.

Prices for Basquiat’s drawings and paintings on paper range from $50,000/750,000, although most sales are in the $50,000/200,000 realm, says Cheim. The prices for paintings on canvas range from $800,000/5 million.

In contrast to some artists who came to prominence in the 1980s, Basquiat’s market has remained strong. Two major museums—the Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York, and the Museo d’Arte Moderna at Lugano, Switzerland—are holding retrospective exhibitions of Basquiat’s paintings and works on paper, continuing through June 5 and June 19, respectively.

The top auction price to date is the $5.5 million paid for a 1982 acrylic (spray paint) on canvas, Profit I, which was sold in 2002 at Christie’s and exceeded the $3/5 million estimate, followed by $4.6 million for another 1982 painting in acrylic and oil stick on canvas, Untitled (Two Heads on Gold), at Sotheby’s in 2003.

Antonio Brasko “BRANDALISM” @ The Seventh Letter Recap

A familiar name ’round these parts as catalyzed with our excursion to Portland last year, designer Antonio Brasko has continued on to host his own exhibition at The Seventh Letter Gallery in Los Angeles. The show, cleverly dubbed “BRANDALISM,” is an extension of the branded spray can project we’ve seen from Brasko in the past. The exhibit is the sum of oversized prints and can designs, all meant as a creative study on the parallels between graffiti and corporate branding. “BRANDALISM,” which opened on March 8, attracted a diverse crowd of attendees – perfectly fitting with the wide-ranging overtones of the show itself. Enjoy a brief recap above, and if in the Los Angeles area before March 22, be sure to stop by The Seventh Letter to experience the show in person.

The Seventh Letter
346 N. Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
United States

Aaron De La Cruz x Remix x Casio G-Shock Pop-Up Gallery Recap

Less than a week ago we previewed the Aaron De La Cruz x Remix x Casio G-Shock GD-6900 with hand-engraved lines mimicking Cruz’s signature freestyle art. Within our editorial we mentioned a temporary pop-up shop would open in Taipei to showcase the one-of-a-kind timepiece, and G-Shock was kind enough to invite us in to recap the event for our readers. Displaying a collection of original paintings and limited edition commemorative T-shirts, the pièce de résistance has to be the laser-cut mirror designed personally by Cruz himself. If you happen to be in the area, be sure to swing by the pop-up gallery at the address below.

Aaron De La Cruz x Remix x Casio G-Shock Pop-up Gallery
No.55, Ln. 161, Sec. 1, Dunhua S. Rd.,
Da’an Dist., Taipei City 106
Taiwan

Traver Dodorye Studio Update

Traver Dodorye is an upcoming artist based out of Miami. He is willing to share info on the latest work from his studio.

JR @ Museum Frieder Burda

French street artist JR takes his compelling art to a new exhibition at Baden-Baden, Germany. Exhibiting at the Museum Frieder Burda, the show encompasses shots of the TED Prize-winning artist’s public work in addition to monochromatic photos used for previous installations such as WOMEN ARE HEROES, FACE 2 FACE and THE WRINKLES OF THE CITY. The exhibition will run until June 29 and visitors can have their portraits taken in a photo booth as part of JR’s “INSIDE OUT” project.