Provenance

Oswal Martin Marsant; acquired directly from Jean-Michel Basquiat;

Present Michael J. Mahoney; acquired from Oswal Martin Marsant.

The Painting

Untitled and signed SAMO© (on the reverse).

Executed: Date Unknown. The painting was not executed in front of Oswal.

Dimensions: 121.92 cm x 68.58 cm.

Materials: On wood. The type of paint is possibly acrylic. However, the paint has not been tested.

Note: Some of the information below is not in the short video. The subject painting is displayed throughout the video either with print partially covering it or with the image of subject painting distorted, e.g., silent era image. Doing so is a precaution to prevent the use of the image for profit. The following is a description of the subject painting and is not mentioned in the video.

The recto of the board is painted white. The figure to the left appears as a black silhouette with undefined anatomical features. The head of a smaller figure is painted in red to the right of the figure in black. The text, “sad run (on your back) ©,” is written in between the two figures. The word “Up” is above sad run (on your back). In the lower-right corner is the word “sleep.” There are also additional markings and these are open to interpretation. The verso mostly appears as unpainted raw wood but contains the signature “SAMO ©” with a faint arrow pointing to the right. There are no significant signs of damage or areas of loss, but there are numerous chips, scuffs, scratches, and areas of discoloration, which appear more yellow than white. There are also holes on the right side of the painting and markings from nails or screws.