Basquiat sightings, or Case Review: Heriveaux v. Christies, Inc.

By Chris Michaels, Esq.

Born in Brooklyn, NY in 1960, Jean-Michel Basquiat was a contemporary American artist, who started his career as a graffiti artist in the mid-1970s working in and around the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He gained popularity in the art world in the early 80s when his first solo art show opened in 1981. It was also in 1981 that Artforum magazine published a feature on Basquiat, effectively bringing his work into the mainstream. Basquiat’s art received widespread critical acclaim and in 1985 The New York Times Magazine featured the artist on their cover. Three years later, Basquiat died of a heroin overdose in 1988 at the age of 27. His popularity continued and grew after his death; today Basquiat's work continues to bring in huge sums at auction. For example, in May of 2013 his painting, Dustheads, sold for $48.8 million at auction.

After the artist’s death, his estate established a committee to review and determine authenticity of works thought to be Basquiat. The authentication work was directed by the artist’s father, Gerard Basquiat, with assistance from a former curator of American Art at the Whitney Museum. As of September 2012, the authentication committee disbanded. (Read our report on the phenomenon of closing authentication committees here.)