Basquiat’s Crowned Figure Reigns Over Christie’s and Records Tumble

A single Basquiat drawing, crowned with a laurel and standing over five feet tall, stole the spotlight at Christie’s 21st century evening sale—fetching $22.95 million and setting a new auction record for the artist’s works on paper. Created when Basquiat was just 21, this piece has traveled from major retrospectives to the pages of his New York Times obituary, becoming an emblem of his legacy. The sale was a white glove affair: every one of the 42 lots found a buyer, and the night saw records fall for ten other artists, from William Eggleston’s photographs to Firelei Báez’s vibrant explorations of identity. Keith Haring’s rare mask sculpture and Louise Bourgeois’s lush gouache polyptych also broke new ground. In a single evening, the auction became a stage for both legends and rising stars, proving that the pulse of contemporary art beats as fiercely as ever. #Basquiat #ContemporaryArt #ArtAuctions #Culture