"Jawbone of an Ass" by Jean-Michel Basquiat—a Contemporary artist and notorious figure during the Neo-expressionist art movement—was created in 1982 and then reproduced in a limited edition release in 2005 from Basquiat's estate. The original painting was done in mixed media, using acrylics, oil sticks, and paper collages. Basquiat’s religious knowledge reveals itself in this work: The title refers to a Christian passage where Samson claims to have slain a thousand men purely with the use of the jawbone of an ass thanks to the incredible strength that he held. The hand-pulled silkscreen measures 43 inches tall and 60 inches wide and is signed, stamped, and authenticated by the Executor of the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat.

To see more of Basquiat’s work, please reach out to Taglialatella Galleries directly.

Jean-Michel Basquiat is one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century. His dramatic life and iconic works of art—featuring obsessive scribbling, text, enigmatic symbols, diagrams, skulls, masks, and the artist’s trademark crown—have made his visual vocabulary instantly recognizable. In 1978, Basquiat began as a graffiti artist in the streets of New York, tagging all of his works "SAMO," which stands for "same old shit." He earned a living by selling painted postcards and T-shirts and by making assemblages from scrap metal. He soon attracted the attention of the New York street art scene and went on to inspire Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, and other prominent urban artists of the late twentieth century. Andy Warhol was Basquiat’s mentor and friend, and he helped the young artist navigate the 1980s art world. Basquiat frequently drew inspiration from his Caribbean heritage; a convergence of African American, African, and Aztec cultural histories; classical themes; and figures of pop culture, including athletes and musicians. The immediacy and intellectual depth of his paintings won him widespread acclaim during his lifetime. Since his untimely death at the age of 27, the importance of Basquiat’s work, both in terms of financial worth and historical relevance, has increased exponentially. His blue chip works of art frequently set auction records. Basquiat’s paintings now belong in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among others.