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Lot Essay
The filial bond that existed between Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol may have originated in the attraction between opposites but it was also rooted in a deep and instinctive union between two lonely and brilliant outsiders. Both artists operated on the fringes of mainstream convention, deflecting the psychological and sociological obstacles in their lives into the language of art. Forging distinctive brands, each responded to the myths and horrors of modern life with ironic ambivalence. Thus, despite their ostensible differences in age, race, class and sexuality, it seems somehow fitting that their art would come together in collaboration.
Although Basquiat and Warhol were formally introduced in 1982, they did not begin to work together until 1984. In the interim they developed a close friendship, exercising, dining and partying together, even sharing the occasional pedicure session. This intimacy provided a foundation for their eventual collaborations in which they sustained a partnership of equals. Fuck You Dentures is a work that embodies the irreverent spirit that the two artists brought to their joint efforts in 1984 and 1985. Although the subject of the painting does not derive from popular culture as much as the realm of banal objects, it is subject to tongue-in-cheek treatment. One is forced to imagine the bold wearer of these dentures flash a FUCK YOU smile at every polite exchange, flipping the hapless person at the receiving end of his smirks.
A close examination of the work's distinct mélange of techniques reveals the unique contribution of each artist. Most often, Warhol would paint the canvas first, leaving generous spaces and lively visual situations for Basquiat to animate. Warhol would either silkscreen an image or use a projector to trace its form onto the canvas and Basquiat would be let loose on the result. In Fuck You Dentures, there is a clear and pointed contrast between the cool application of Warhol's logo-like iconography - most notable in the dentures themselves - and in the frenzied and painterly marks of Basquiat's contribution - specifically in the titular 'Fuck You' with its irregular lettering (and copyright symbol, which embodies Basquiat's sign for authorship.) It is this combination - this juxtaposition of the styles of two very different artists - that lends this work its intense visual potency.
Warhol's most recognizable contributions comprised flat, graphic motifs akin to print advertisements. Painting on a large scale he lent his simplified, photographic images iconic authority. Basquiat's involvement complimented such renditions, adding visceral punch to the Pop artist's detachment, mischief to his coolness and bustle to the immobility of his sign-like imagery. Like a jolt in the spaces adjacent to the dentures, Basquiat's red horned devil with the pitch fork is a delightfully diabolical addition as is the small 'primitive' head above it. In this way, Fuck You Dentures bears witness to a kind of conversation between Dionysian and Apollonian forces, each counteracting the other to create a composition of remarkable balance and cohesion.
Although Basquiat and Warhol were formally introduced in 1982, they did not begin to work together until 1984. In the interim they developed a close friendship, exercising, dining and partying together, even sharing the occasional pedicure session. This intimacy provided a foundation for their eventual collaborations in which they sustained a partnership of equals. Fuck You Dentures is a work that embodies the irreverent spirit that the two artists brought to their joint efforts in 1984 and 1985. Although the subject of the painting does not derive from popular culture as much as the realm of banal objects, it is subject to tongue-in-cheek treatment. One is forced to imagine the bold wearer of these dentures flash a FUCK YOU smile at every polite exchange, flipping the hapless person at the receiving end of his smirks.
A close examination of the work's distinct mélange of techniques reveals the unique contribution of each artist. Most often, Warhol would paint the canvas first, leaving generous spaces and lively visual situations for Basquiat to animate. Warhol would either silkscreen an image or use a projector to trace its form onto the canvas and Basquiat would be let loose on the result. In Fuck You Dentures, there is a clear and pointed contrast between the cool application of Warhol's logo-like iconography - most notable in the dentures themselves - and in the frenzied and painterly marks of Basquiat's contribution - specifically in the titular 'Fuck You' with its irregular lettering (and copyright symbol, which embodies Basquiat's sign for authorship.) It is this combination - this juxtaposition of the styles of two very different artists - that lends this work its intense visual potency.
Warhol's most recognizable contributions comprised flat, graphic motifs akin to print advertisements. Painting on a large scale he lent his simplified, photographic images iconic authority. Basquiat's involvement complimented such renditions, adding visceral punch to the Pop artist's detachment, mischief to his coolness and bustle to the immobility of his sign-like imagery. Like a jolt in the spaces adjacent to the dentures, Basquiat's red horned devil with the pitch fork is a delightfully diabolical addition as is the small 'primitive' head above it. In this way, Fuck You Dentures bears witness to a kind of conversation between Dionysian and Apollonian forces, each counteracting the other to create a composition of remarkable balance and cohesion.