With an estimated value between $20 million and $30 million, a standout 1982 work on paper by Jean-Michel Basquiat will be featured at Christie’s 21st Century Evening Sale. The piece portrays a classic Basquiat figure adorned with a laurel wreath. The consignor is Peter Brant, one of Basquiat’s major collectors.
This large untitled piece, held privately since the early ’90s and showcased in a major 2019 retrospective at Fondation Louis Vuitton, was recently lent by the Brant Foundation to Skarstedt’s In Dialogue with Picasso exhibition. Expected to surpass the $15.2 million record for a Basquiat work on paper set at Sotheby’s, it has drawn a high estimate that experts describe as well-deserved, calling the piece an “A++” Basquiat. While no third-party guarantee is currently attached to the piece, interest from potential buyers is reportedly high.
Peter Brant is consigning Eric Fischl’s The Old Man’s Boat and the Old Man’s Dog (1982), estimated at $3 million – $4 million, alongside the Basquiat. This painting set Fischl’s auction record in May 2022, achieving $4.14 million, with Brant later revealed as the buyer. Originally owned by Robert and Aimee Lehrman, it was purchased through Gagosian in 1990 and consigned after setting a record at that sale.
The Brant Foundation is consigning Christopher Wool’s 1992 untitled enamel on aluminum piece, estimated at $1.5 million – $2.5 million, and Jeff Koons’ New Hoover Celebrity IV from The New Series, estimated at $3.5 million – $5.5 million. The Wool work was last displayed in Mnuchin Gallery’s 2018 Reds exhibition, while the Koons piece was part of The Brant Foundation’s inaugural Greenwich exhibition.
The Foundation is also consigning Roy Lichtenstein’s 1962 work on paper George Washington, estimated at $7 million – $10 million. Previously sold at Sotheby’s in 2001 for $940,750, it now returns with a significantly higher estimate. Also included is a 1964 Dan Flavin fluorescent light sculpture, estimated at $1 million – $2 million, which Brant acquired from David Zwirner in 2014.
Peter Brant’s consignment strategy appears meticulously crafted, featuring a selection of blue-chip works aimed at high-end collectors.
