Brett Whiteley propels Heritage Modern and Contemporary art sale to $2.9M

Brett Whiteley, ‘Nude Beside the Basin,’ $705,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com
Brett Whiteley, ‘Nude Beside the Basin,’ $705,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com
Brett Whiteley, ‘Nude Beside the Basin,’ $705,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com

DALLAS — On May 23, an Australian painter’s work flew out the door and an American artist’s work sped off to victory at Heritage Auctions. Key works by Brett Whiteley, the Australian artist featured in many significant collections Down Under and beyond, and Kenny Scharf, the artist who helped create New York’s last coherent downtown scene, led an event of Modern & Contemporary Art that totaled $2,923,623. At just 63 lots, the auction included strong results for Jean-Michel Basquiat, Deborah Butterfield and Betty Parsons. “Iconic works by Basquiat, Butterfield, George Rodrigue and Parsons experienced spirited bidding,” said Heritage’s Vice President of Modern & Contemporary Art Frank Hettig. “Heritage’s first offering of Australian artist Brett Whiteley soared to $705,000. And the most fun lot in the sale, bar none, was Kenny Scharf’s Astro Cumulo Uber Express, a mint-condition 1960 Cadillac Coupe De Ville that he morphed into a playful, message-heavy art piece on wheels.”

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Palm Beach art dealer sentenced to 27 months; sold counterfeit Warhols, Basquiats

Photo of Lady Justice by Dev Kulshrestha, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license
Photo of Lady Justice by Dev Kulshrestha, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

MIAMI – Palm Beach art dealer Daniel Elie Bouaziz was sentenced on June 1 to 27 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for laundering money derived from his scheme to sell counterfeit artwork. U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon also ordered Bouaziz to pay a $15,000 fine. The restitution hearing is set for August 16.

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Warhol + Jagger found satisfaction at Heritage Prints and Multiples sale

Andy Warhol, ‘Mick Jagger,’ $131,250. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions ha.com
Andy Warhol, ‘Mick Jagger,’ $131,250. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions ha.com
Andy Warhol, ‘Mick Jagger,’ $131,250. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com

DALLAS – Andy Warhol’s light never fades. The artist’s iconic 1975 portrait of Mick Jagger, the irreplaceable Rolling Stones front man, took center stage on April 18 during Heritage’s Prints & Multiples event. The Picasso-inflected screenprint, signed by Jagger, brought in $131,250, well above its estimate, in a carefully curated sale of significant works on paper by modern and contemporary greats. After a two-hour bidding scrum for only 91 lots, the auction closed past $1.5 million and proved the current strength of this art category. A number of works admirably outperformed their estimates and new auction records were set for Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat and David Hockney.

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Man agrees to plead guilty in Basquiat artwork fraud scheme

The Orlando Museum of Art in Orlando, Florida, photographed in April 2011. A former auctioneer from Los Angeles agreed to plead guilty to faking works by Jean-Michel Basquiat that were shown at the Florida museum. The paintings were subsequently seized in a federal raid in 2022. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Ebyabe. Shared under several Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike licenses, most recently the 3.0 Unported version.
The Orlando Museum of Art in Orlando, Florida, photographed in April 2011. A former auctioneer from Los Angeles agreed to plead guilty to faking works by Jean-Michel Basquiat that were shown at the Florida museum. The paintings were subsequently seized in a federal raid in 2022. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Ebyabe. Shared under several Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike licenses, most recently the 3.0 Unported version.
The Orlando Museum of Art in Orlando, Florida, photographed in April 2011. A former auctioneer from Los Angeles agreed to plead guilty to faking works by Jean-Michel Basquiat that were shown at the Florida museum. The paintings were subsequently seized in a federal raid in 2022. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Ebyabe. Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

LOS ANGELES (AP) – A former Los Angeles auctioneer has agreed to plead guilty in a cross-country art fraud scheme in which he created fake artwork and falsely attributed the paintings to artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, federal prosecutors said April 11. The paintings ultimately wound up at the Orlando Museum of Art in Florida before they were seized by federal agents last year in a scandal that roiled the museum and led to its CEO’s departure after he threatened an art expert and told her to “shut up.”

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100+ Basquiat/Warhol collaborations at center of Fondation Louis Vuitton exhibition

Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, ‘OP OP,’ 1984. Acrylic on canvas, 287 by 417cm. Collection Bischofberger, Mannedorf-Zurich / Bischofberger collection, Mannedorf-Zurich. © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat, licensed by Artestar, New York; © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by ADAGP, Paris 20. Photo credit: Courtesy of Bischofberger collection, Mannedorf-Zurich
Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, ‘OP OP,’ 1984. Acrylic on canvas, 287 by 417cm. Collection Bischofberger, Mannedorf-Zurich / Bischofberger collection, Mannedorf-Zurich. © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat, licensed by Artestar, New York; © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by ADAGP, Paris 20. Photo credit: Courtesy of Bischofberger collection, Mannedorf-Zurich

PARIS – In 2018, the Fondation Louis Vuitton presented Jean-Michel Basquiat, a career-spanning exhibition of the artist’s work, which was a massive success and drew an estimated 700,000 visitors during the exhibition run. In 2023, the Fondation will continue its exploration of the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, revealing, this time, his collaboration with Andy Warhol. “Basquiat x Warhol, painting 4 hands” will open on April 5 and continue through August 28.

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Basquiat graffiti on tarp an exciting highlight at Capsule Auctions, Nov. 17

Jean-Michel Basquiat, ‘SAMO©,’ estimated at $30,000-$50,000

Jean-Michel Basquiat, ‘SAMO©,’ estimated at $30,000-$50,000

NEW YORK – On Thursday, November 17, Capsule Auctions will present Postwar and Contemporary Art, an offering of works by sought-after modern and contemporary artists. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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FBI seizes disputed Basquiat artworks from Florida museum

Exterior of the Orlando Museum of Art, photographed in December 2007. The FBI raided the museum on June 24, seizing several works attributed to Jean-Michel Basquiat after experts and others questioned their authenticity. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit User:MrX. Made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Exterior of the Orlando Museum of Art, photographed in December 2007. The FBI raided the museum on June 24, seizing several works attributed to Jean-Michel Basquiat after experts and others questioned their authenticity. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit User:MrX. Made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Exterior of the Orlando Museum of Art . The FBI raided the museum on June 24, seizing several works attributed to Jean-Michel Basquiat after experts and others questioned their authenticity. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. 2007 photo by MrX. Made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The FBI raided a Florida art museum on June 24 and seized more than two dozen paintings attributed to artist Jean-Michel Basquiat following questions about their authenticity. Orlando Museum of Art spokeswoman Emilia Bourmas-Fry said in a statement that they were complying with a warrant from the FBI for access to the Heroes and Monsters exhibit, which is now in the government’s possession. She added that no one on the museum’s staff has been arrested.

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Picasso and Basquiat led stellar lineup at Heritage prints auction

Group of four Jean-Michel Basquiat screenprints, ‘Wolf Sausage,’ ‘King Brand,’ ‘Dog Leg Study,’ and ‘Undiscovered Genius,’ $137,500. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions
Group of four Jean-Michel Basquiat screenprints, ‘Wolf Sausage,’ ‘King Brand,’ ‘Dog Leg Study,’ and ‘Undiscovered Genius,’ $137,500. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions
Group of four Jean-Michel Basquiat screenprints, ‘Wolf Sausage,’ ‘King Brand,’ ‘Dog Leg Study,’ and ‘Undiscovered Genius,’ $137,500. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions

DALLAS – Three record-breaking prices helped push the auction total at Heritage Auctions’ April 19 Prints & Multiples Signature® Auction to $2,377,188 – more than double the pre-sale estimate.

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Heritage April 19 prints and multiples offering ranges from Picasso to Basquiat

Left, Pablo Picasso, ‘Grande Tete de Femme,’ est. $60,000-$80,000; Right, Kehinde Wiley, ‘After Sir Anthony Van Dyck’s Triple Portrait of Charles I,’ est. $20,000-$30,000. Images courtesy of Heritage Auctions
Left, Pablo Picasso, ‘Grande Tete de Femme,’ est. $60,000-$80,000; Right, Kehinde Wiley, ‘After Sir Anthony Van Dyck’s Triple Portrait of Charles I,’ est. $20,000-$30,000. Images courtesy of Heritage Auctions

DALLAS — Headlined by some of the most famous and popular artists of all time, Heritage Auctions‘ April 19 Prints & Multiples Signature® Auction presents a who’s who of the Modern and Contemporary art landscape. Featuring a museum’s worth of highlights, the event includes works by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Joan Mitchell and Kehinde Wiley. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Dallas Museum of Art acquires a 1985 Basquiat with local connection

Jean-Michel Basquiat, ‘Sam F,’ 1985, oil on door, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Samuel N. and Helga A. Feldman, 2019.31, © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York
Jean-Michel Basquiat, ‘Sam F,’ 1985, oil on door, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Samuel N. and Helga A. Feldman, 2019.31, © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York
Jean-Michel Basquiat, ‘Sam F,’ 1985, oil on door, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Samuel N. and Helga A. Feldman, 2019.31, © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York

DALLAS — The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) is pleased to announce the acquisition of Sam F by Jean-Michel Basquiat, the first work by the iconic American artist to enter the Museum’s collection. Given to the DMA by the late Samuel and Helga Feldman, the painting was created during the artist’s visit to Dallas in 1985. The expressionistic portrait of Samuel exhibits Basquiat’s characteristic use of dense, meaning-laden text and imagery drawn from multiple sources, including pop culture figures, music and literature, and art historical iconography, among others. Basquiat often painted on salvaged materials, and Sam F is painted in oil on a door from the Dallas apartment building in which he was staying. Sam F will be exhibited at the DMA on the main concourse until February 2022.

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