Jean-Michel Basquiat 'Humidity', 1982

Phillips de Pury & Company Chairman, Simon de Pury, presents Jean-Michel Basquiat's 'Humidity', 1982. During his early years in the public spotlight—from 1980 to 1982—Jean- Michel Basquiat's progression as an artist was nuclear. His explorations into the subconscious imagery of the human psyche along with his integration of myriad cultural and anatomical tropes makes him one of the most recognized artists of the contemporary era. Throughout these years, we bear witness to a series of crowned figures living many lives: luminous, thorny, even cubic, and polygonal. Humidity, 1982, comes at the height of Basquiat's unprecedented artistic revelations of the human condition. The painting yields limitless treasures of Basquiat's generous spirit, and his sharp observations.

It has been suggested that the central figure in Humidity, 1982, illustrates Basquiat's friend and most influential mentor -- Andy Warhol. The fright-wig, highlighted with bold white oilstick, is perhaps the most telling sign as it mirrors the famed friseur of the legendary teacher to Basquiat. It has also been suggested that the dynamic and joyful figure to the right is actually the portrait of Swiss dealer Bruno Bischofberger. As their gallerist, Bischofberger had championed both Warhol and Basquiat's careers and nurtured the artistic collaborations between the two. While Warhol and Basquiat's collaborations would come after the creation of Humidity, 1982, becomes a distinctive homage to Warhol and Bischofberger, two men who had greatly influenced the young Basquiat.

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Produced by Phillips de Pury & Company (2012)
Camera: Matt Kroening
Editor: Matt Kroening
Producer: Megan Newcome
Original Music: Sameer Kapoor