| Red Skull | |
| Artist: | Jean-Michel Basquiat |
| Year: | 1982 |
| Medium: | Acrylic, oilstick and paper collage |
| Movement: | Neo-expressionism |
| Height Metric: | 152.4 |
| Length Metric: | 152.4 |
| Museum: | Private collection |
Red Skull is a painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1982. It was sold for $21.6 million at Christie's in October 2017.[1]
Red Skull was executed in 1982, which is considered Basquiat's most valuable year.[2] His top three most expensive paintings sold at auction all date to 1982. The success of his first American solo exhibit at the Annina Nosei Gallery in March 1982 led to a string of major solo exhibitions internationally.[3]
Like many of his seminal pieces, the focal point of Red Skull is a potent skull. Basquiat's fascination with the human anatomy began as a child. While recuperating in hospital after being hit by a car, his mother gave him a copy of Gray's Anatomy, which left a lasting impression on him. Heads and skulls became recurring images in Basquiat's oeuvre.[4] They are vividly evocative of African masks, which cultural reclamation. They also allude to Basquiat's Haitian heritage—specifically Haitian Vodou, which has plenty of skull symbolism.[5]
In October 2017, Red Skull sold for $21.6 million at Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Auction in London. A week after the auction, the anonymous consignor of the painting announced that he or she would donate all the proceeds after taxes to the New Jersey chapter of the Knowledge Is Power Program, a nonprofit that helps open new public charter schools.[6]
The painting has been exhibited at the following art institutions: