“Warrior,” a 1982 painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat, sold for $41.9 million, at Christie’s auction house in Hong Kong. The painting, which depicts a crowned figure wielding a sword, sold during a live-streamed single-lot sale titled “We Are All Warriors.” It was led by Christie’s global president Jussi Pylkannen, who was based in London. The painting hammered within estimate at HK$280 million ($36 million).
Three phone bidders from Hong Kong and New York competed for the work. Going to a buyer on the phone with Hong Kong specialist Jacky Ho, the guaranteed work hammered at HKD 280 million, in the middle of its estimate of $31 million–$41 million (HKD 240 million–HKD 320 million).
The seller of the work, German-American real-estate developer and art collector Aby Rosen, also owns works by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Cy Twombly, Alexander Calder, Damien Hirst, and Richard Prince.
The painting was first exhibited in 1983 in Tokyo at Akira Ikeda Gallery. The work has travelled from many hands and many countries including Paris, Vienna and Milan. It was last showcased in 2019 in the inaugural exhibition of the Brant Foundation’s New York space.
The sale has continued the market ascent for Basquiat that has been ongoing since 2013, when Dustheads (1982) sold at Christie’s New York, bringing in $48.8 million. Before today’s sale, 9 of the 10 most expensive Basquiat works were from the same year Warrior was completed.