Jean-Michel Basquiat's masterpiece “Sabado Por la Noche (Saturday Night)” is about to appear at Christie's Hong Kong evening auction

Jean-Michel Basquiat's masterpiece “Sabado por la Noche” (Chinese translation: Saturday Night) will be unveiled in Hong Kong on March 28, 2025, as one of the focus works of Christie's evening auctions in the 20th and 21st century. This auction is particularly selected at the same time as Art Basel in Hong Kong, which will undoubtedly attract attention from the global art collection community. This work is estimated at $95,000,000 to $125,000,000 (approximately $13,000,000 to $16,000,000), and is not only one of Basquiat's important masterpieces, but also demonstrates the artist's extraordinary talent with its magnificent composition and innovative techniques.

This masterpiece, created in 1984, is at the height of Basquiat's artistic career. That year, he held a solo exhibition at Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh, and then his works toured to the London Centre for Contemporary Art and the Boymans Van Burningen Gallery in Rotterdam, becoming his first museum-level solo exhibition and also established his international reputation. “Sabado por la Noche” continues Basquiat's iconic creative vocabulary, and builds rich pictures through the dexterity of using words, symbols and characters, demonstrating his profound skills in artistic expression. The works not only show his ability to control diverse creative materials, but also reflect his unique interpretation of complex themes, making him one of the legendary figures in the art world in the 20th century.

In “Sabado por la Noche”, Basquiat insists on taking multicultural themes and profound ideas as the core, including two “Griot” characters he often portrays. These characters originated from the image of a storyteller or poet in West Africa, symbolizing cultural heritage and historical memory. In addition, the work also incorporates street art elements, human anatomy details, and multiple cosmic elements in the collage paper to the golden ratio of Fibonacci, with a delicate composition and full of philosophical thought. There are also many graffiti words and double helix structures in the picture, which further enriches the layering and visual impact of the work, and fully demonstrates Basquiat's artistic talent and imagination.

The work is currently from a private collection in Asia. The creative materials include acrylic, screen printing, oil sticks and collage paper, and the canvas scale is 195.6 x 223.5 cm (77 x 88 inches). The work will be previewed on the public from March 25 to 27, providing close-up opportunities for collectors and art lovers.

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