Untitled (Pollo Frito) Explained

Untitled (Pollo Frito)
Artist:Jean-Michel Basquiat
Year:1982
Medium:Acrylic, oil, and enamel on canvas, in two parts
Movement:Neo-expressionism
Height Metric:152.4
Length Metric:306.1
Museum:Private collection

Untitled (Pollo Frito) is a painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1982. The artwork was sold at Sotheby's for $25.7 million in November 2018.[1]

History

Jean-Michel Basquiat executed Untitled (Pollo Frito) in 1982, the year he fully gained legitimacy and recognition in the international art scene.[2] He received his first American solo exhibition at the Annina Nosei Galley in New York, followed by the Larry Gagosian Gallery in Los Angeles and Bruno Bischofberger's gallery in Zurich. He also received an invitation to attend the Documenta 7 exhibition in Kassel as the youngest artist to participate.

In 1982, Fay Gold, an art dealer from Atlanta, spotted Untitled (Pollo Frito) at the Annina Nosei Gallery during a trip to New York City. She had intended to buy a diamond bracelet with the $5,000 her husband gave her for her birthday, instead she bought the painting.[3] In 1985, Gold went to Basquiat's Great Jones Street studio and invited him to do a show at her gallery. He sold her a group of eleven drawings for $16,500 and later traveled to Atlanta for the opening at the Fay Gold Gallery in February 1986.[4]

In 2002, Gold sold Untitled (Pollo Frito) for around $1 million. It sold for $25.7 million at Sotheby's Contemporary Art Evening Auction in November 2018.

The painting debuted on the art-investment platform, Masterworks in July 2023. According to SEC documents the painting was worth of $36,869,000. [5] [6]

Analysis

The painting, which comprises two panels that together span 12 ft, is covered in "incendiary shades of orange, red, and yellow."[7] Basquiat's key iconography are present, including a crown, repetitive words, and an expressionistic head. Drawn from the unfiltered grit of his environs in Lower Manhattan as the graffiti artist SAMO, Basquiat makes textual references like "BROKE GLASS" and "DANGER." Basquiat, who was of Puerto Rican heritage, often combined clever wordplay in English and Spanish in his artwork.[8] On the left panel above the encircled word danger is "PELIGROSO," which translates to dangerous. The title "POLLO FRITO" (pronounced as /es/ fried chicken), may refer to the racist stereotype about African Americans loving fried chicken.[9] Fried chicken and broken glass, along with "ASBESTOS" is also a warning to the danger of capitalist consumption. The word "asbestos" appears in several Basquiat paintings like Obnoxious Liberals (1982) and Per Capita (1983). There is a connection between asbestos and certain types of cancer and in 1982, Johns-Manville Corporation filed for bankruptcy after facing liability for asbestos injury claims.[10] At the time, it was the largest company ever to file bankruptcy, so by mentioning "asbestos" in his paintings, Basquiat is referencing corporate greed.[11]

Exhibitions

Untitled (Pollo Frito) has been exhibited at major art institutions worldwide, which include:

See also

References

  1. Web site: November 14, 2018. Contemporary Art Brings $362 Million, As New Records Are Set for Three African-American Artists. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210116002139/https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/contemporary-art-auction-results-november-2018-records-for-african-american-artists-jacob-lawrence. January 16, 2021. Sotheby's.
  2. Web site: Maneker. Marion. September 28, 2018. Sotheby's Basquiat Mini-Collection with $25m Pollo Frito + 3 Other Works. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210114181633/https://www.artmarketmonitor.com/2018/09/28/sothebys-basquiat-mini-collection-with-25m-pollo-frito-3-other-works/. January 14, 2021. 2021-01-13. Art Market Monitor. en-US.
  3. Web site: Polsky. Richard. November 14, 2018. How a Lucky Art Collector Bought Basquiat's $25 Million 'Fried Chicken' Painting for $5,600—and Got the Artist's Cat, Too. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210116052214/https://news.artnet.com/market/basquiat-pollo-frito-sothebys-1395265. January 16, 2021. 2021-01-13. artnet News. en-US.
  4. Book: Hoban, Phoebe. Basquiat : a quick killing in art. New York: Viking. 1988. 978-0-670-85477-6. 276.
  5. Web site: Schultz . Abby . Masterworks Is Selling Shares of a $36.7 Million Basquiat Painting to Retail Investors . 2023-07-25 . www.barrons.com . en-US . July 25, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230725192003/https://www.barrons.com/articles/masterworks-is-selling-shares-of-a-36-7-million-basquiat-painting-to-retail-investors-17950674 . live .
  6. Web site: Masterworks. 2023-08-04 . www.sec.gov . live . Jul 25, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230725230320/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1976546/000149315223020393/form253g2.htm . en .
  7. Web site: Auriemma. Rosita. 2019-09-01. Jean-Michel Basquiat: his best works and the meaning of his art. 2021-01-13. Auralcrave. en-GB. January 14, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210114135330/https://auralcrave.com/en/2019/09/01/jean-michel-basquiat-his-best-works-and-the-meaning-of-his-art/. live.
  8. Web site: by. 2018-12-22. Jean-Michel Basquiat Haitian-Puerto Rican ~ New York Latin Culture. 2021-01-13. New York Latin Culture™ Magazine. en-US. January 15, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210115133011/https://www.newyorklatinculture.com/boom-for-real-basquiat/. live.
  9. Web site: Demby. Gene. May 22, 2013. Where Did That Fried Chicken Stereotype Come From?. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160528020445/http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/05/22/186087397/where-did-that-fried-chicken-stereotype-come-from. May 28, 2016. 2021-01-13. NPR.org. en.
  10. Web site: History of Asbestos Use by Johns Manville. 2021-01-13. Mesothelioma Center - Vital Services for Cancer Patients & Families. en-US. January 15, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210115131503/https://www.asbestos.com/companies/johns-manville/. live.
  11. Web site: "Asbestos" Referenced in Provocative Basquiat Painting at L.A.'s Broad Museum. 2021-01-13. Worthington & Caron, PC. January 15, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210115030624/https://www.worthingtoncaron.com/News/2016/June/-Asbestos-Referenced-in-Provocative-Basquiat-Pai.aspx. live.
  12. Web site: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (Pollo Frito). live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210114135329/https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/contemporary-art-evening-sale-n09932/lot.21.html. January 14, 2021. Sotheby's.
  13. Web site: Basquiat "Heads". live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210116002159/https://www.vdwny.com/exhibitions/basquiat-heads. January 16, 2021. 2021-01-13. Van de Weghe.