Untitled (Devil)
Untitled is a painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1982. The artwork was sold at Christie's for $57.3 million in May 2016. At the time, that was the record for Basquiat's most expensive painting. It is currently Basquiat's third highest auction record, and fourth most expensive painting. History. "Untitled" was executed by Jean-Michel Basquiat in Modena, Italy in 1982, which is considered his most valuable year. A majority of the highest-selling Basquiat paintings at auction date to 1982. That year he also became the youngest artist ever invited to  participate in "Documenta" in Kassel, Germany. Basquiat had initially been invited to Modena in 1981 by art dealer Emilio Mazzoli, for his first one-man show at Galleria d'Arte Emilio Mazzoli, after he had seen Basquiat's work at the "New York/New Wave" February 1981 show at New York's MoMA PS1. Basquiat returned to Modena in March 1982, and during this trip he created a series of paintings; "Untitled" being the largest at over sixteen feet wide and almost eight feet tall. The artwork has often been identified as a self-portrait depicting Basquiat as a devil. It  is dominated by sporadic brushwork and an array of vivid colors overlapping a fiery black devil at its center. The painting was a part of the collection art dealer Adam Lindemann and his wife, art dealer Amalia Dayan in New York. Lindemann purchased the painting for $4.5 million at the Sotheby's contemporary art evening sale in London in June 2004. It was sold to Japanese businessman and art collector Yusaku Maezawa for $57.3 million at Christie's post-war and contemporary art evening auction in May 2016. It was the most expensive Basquiat painting sold at auction  until Maezawa purchased "Untitled" (1982) for $110.5 million at Sotheby's in May 2017. Exhibitions. "Untitled" has been exhibited at major art institutions worldwide, which include: