Jean-Michel Basquiat, Attributed/Manner of: Sugar Ray Robinson
Jean-Michel Basquiat (American, 1960–1988)
Attributed / Manner of.
Acrylic and mixed media on canvas depicting a powerful frontal boxer rendered through vigorous gestural brushwork, fragmented anatomy, and an intense palette of red, orange, yellow, black, white, and deep blue. The figure is constructed with exaggerated gloves, exposed teeth, circular motifs, energetic linear marks, and layered painterly gestures, creating the raw and confrontational visual impact closely associated with Basquiat’s Neo-Expressionist vocabulary.
The subject appears to reference legendary boxing champion Sugar Ray Robinson, transforming the athlete into a monumental, almost totemic figure. Basquiat frequently drew inspiration from celebrated Black athletes, musicians, and historical personalities, using them as symbols of achievement, identity, struggle, fame, and cultural memory.
The verso is inscribed “SUGAR RAY ROBINSON,†dated “1982,†and bears a signature, together with an additional certification-style label affixed to the canvas. These inscriptions and labels are noted as present on the work and are not independently authenticated.
Jean-Michel Basquiat was one of the most influential artists to emerge from New York in the 1980s. His paintings combined graffiti-inspired marks, anatomy, language, crowns, historical references, sports, music, and symbols of race and power into a distinctive visual language that became central to contemporary Neo-Expressionism.
DIMENSIONS
Unframed: 27 1/2 x 20 1/4 in.
Framed: 29 1/2 x 22 3/8 in.
PROVENANCE
Private collection.
Condition
Good overall condition consistent with age, with minor surface wear and light wear to the frame.
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
Jean-Michel Basquiat (American, 1960–1988)
Attributed / Manner of.
Acrylic and mixed media on canvas depicting a powerful frontal boxer rendered through vigorous gestural brushwork, fragmented anatomy, and an intense palette of red, orange, yellow, black, white, and deep blue. The figure is constructed with exaggerated gloves, exposed teeth, circular motifs, energetic linear marks, and layered painterly gestures, creating the raw and confrontational visual impact closely associated with Basquiat’s Neo-Expressionist vocabulary.
The subject appears to reference legendary boxing champion Sugar Ray Robinson, transforming the athlete into a monumental, almost totemic figure. Basquiat frequently drew inspiration from celebrated Black athletes, musicians, and historical personalities, using them as symbols of achievement, identity, struggle, fame, and cultural memory.
The verso is inscribed “SUGAR RAY ROBINSON,†dated “1982,†and bears a signature, together with an additional certification-style label affixed to the canvas. These inscriptions and labels are noted as present on the work and are not independently authenticated.
Jean-Michel Basquiat was one of the most influential artists to emerge from New York in the 1980s. His paintings combined graffiti-inspired marks, anatomy, language, crowns, historical references, sports, music, and symbols of race and power into a distinctive visual language that became central to contemporary Neo-Expressionism.
DIMENSIONS
Unframed: 27 1/2 x 20 1/4 in.
Framed: 29 1/2 x 22 3/8 in.
PROVENANCE
Private collection.
Condition
Good overall condition consistent with age, with minor surface wear and light wear to the frame.
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
