Jean-Michel Basquiat’s The Italian Version of Popeye Has No Pork in His Diet, 1982—which has been out of public view for almost two decades—is headed to auction next month and is estimated to sell “in the region of US$30 million.”
The piece, which Christie’s calls Basquiat’s “finest” stretcher bar painting, will be a highlight of the auction house’s 21st Century Evening Sale, to be held in New York on May 14.
“This 1982 painting shows Basquiat at his absolute best—deftly mixing symbols, text, and portraiture,” says Alex Rotter, Christie’s chairman of 20th- and 21st-century art. “The composition is frenzied and plentiful, drawing inspiration from so many of his iconic influences through history, sports, and contemporary media.”
The painting features three versions of Basquiat’s signature motif, the crown. Its subject matter is drawn from three of Basquiat’s major influences: comic books, with reference to Popeye in the title; sports, with baseball and boxing notations; and medical tome Gray’s Anatomy, with depictions of the human form, according to Christie’s.
Main Image :The Italian Version of Popeye Has No Pork in His Diet by Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1982, Christie’s
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
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