An iconic work by Basquiat, from his most productive period, with many symbols that are found throughout his oeuvre, such as a crown above the name “Thor,” upon a dinosaur in Pez Dispenser, 1984, and over the word “Cheap Food” in Multiflavors, 1982.

"Charles the First" was born in 1600 to James VI of Scotland and Anne of Denmark. He worked hard to overcome physical disabilities though suffered from a lifelong stammer. After rising to king in 1625, he was beheaded January 30, 1649 after being found guilty of high treason. Basquiat has scrawled on the bottom of the piece “Most young kings get thier [sic] head cut off.” This is clearly an autobiographical reference by Basquiat who was suffering from his own private demons.

New-York based street artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) gained immense popularity at a young age. While still in his early twenties, Basquiat began his career with political and poetical graffiti that lined the walls of New York City under the satirical signature SAMO (“same old shit”). Basquiat’s works, originally obscure graffiti and later Neo-expressionist works, are characterized by dichotomies. In his own life, Basquiat struggled with his mixed-race identity, as his mother was Puerto Rican and his father Haitian, and his works extended to include the relationships that exist between wealth and poverty, inner and outer experiences, and differing social classes. Jean-Michel Basquiat died an untimely death at the age of 28, but his impact has yet to be forgotten. His works are exhibited worldwide in major museum collections and notable galleries, recently including at the Gagosian Gallery, London, England (2012); the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (2011); and the Gagosian Gallery, Rome, Italy (2011).

Selected Public Collections:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY)
Whitney Museum of American Art (New York, NY )
The Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY)
Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles, CA)
Guggenheim Bilbao (Bilbao, Spain)
Fukuoka Art Museum (Fukuoka, Japan)
Musée d'Art Contemporain (Marseilles, France)