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Lot Essay
In 1960, an African American social employee named Barney Hill, and his wife Betty claimed that they were taken onboard a UFO. Twenty-two years after this strange event, Jean-Michel Basquiat explored this distinctive subject matter in his 1983 painting Life Like Son of Barney Hill. This painting is among the artist's largest works.
The year Basquiat created Life Like Son of Barney Hill was a period of much success, achievement and recognition for the artist. He was included in the 1983 Biennial at the Whitney Museum and was the youngest among the forty artists exhibited. His solo exhibitions were numerous and due to the art market at that time, Basquiat became a wealthy young man. It was around this time that he met Andy Warhol, who soon became his mentor, and the beginnings of an industrious partnership and a meaningful friendship were born.
These events and new experiences in Basquiat's life seem to have precipitated an interest in themes such as death, money and the supernatural as explored in Life Like Son of Barney Hill. The subject of death is an omnipresent weight that imbues the work of Jean- Michel Basquiat and here it appears in the second panel. We read, "Lux Lucet in Tenebris" (the light was shining in the darkness) and "Anubis". Anubis was the god of the dead in Egyptian mythology. He was the guardian of tombs and a judge of the dead; and at the time of judgement, he weighed the heart of the dead against the feather of truth.
Basquiat seemed to have some difficulty adjusting to his new status of a rich man. He considered himself a youth from the streets, but his life as an artist forced him to be more concerned by the creation of power. In the far right panel of Life Like Son of Barney Hill, a man seems to be imprisoned by wealth, instead of finding "Liberty" within it.
The artist explores the idea of escaping the madness of the physical world, and strives to experience the unknown. This unknown world consists of power and strength, considering the existence of a "Superman" symbol and a character which appears on the third panel. The superhero does not have a face, yet seems to aid mankind blindly and silently.
The year Basquiat created Life Like Son of Barney Hill was a period of much success, achievement and recognition for the artist. He was included in the 1983 Biennial at the Whitney Museum and was the youngest among the forty artists exhibited. His solo exhibitions were numerous and due to the art market at that time, Basquiat became a wealthy young man. It was around this time that he met Andy Warhol, who soon became his mentor, and the beginnings of an industrious partnership and a meaningful friendship were born.
These events and new experiences in Basquiat's life seem to have precipitated an interest in themes such as death, money and the supernatural as explored in Life Like Son of Barney Hill. The subject of death is an omnipresent weight that imbues the work of Jean- Michel Basquiat and here it appears in the second panel. We read, "Lux Lucet in Tenebris" (the light was shining in the darkness) and "Anubis". Anubis was the god of the dead in Egyptian mythology. He was the guardian of tombs and a judge of the dead; and at the time of judgement, he weighed the heart of the dead against the feather of truth.
Basquiat seemed to have some difficulty adjusting to his new status of a rich man. He considered himself a youth from the streets, but his life as an artist forced him to be more concerned by the creation of power. In the far right panel of Life Like Son of Barney Hill, a man seems to be imprisoned by wealth, instead of finding "Liberty" within it.
The artist explores the idea of escaping the madness of the physical world, and strives to experience the unknown. This unknown world consists of power and strength, considering the existence of a "Superman" symbol and a character which appears on the third panel. The superhero does not have a face, yet seems to aid mankind blindly and silently.