Charles The First
Charles The First
Unsigned Print
Jean-Michel Basquiat
£50,000-£70,000
$100,000-$140,000 Value Indicator
$90,000-$130,000 Value Indicator
¥480,000-¥670,000 Value Indicator
€60,000-€80,000 Value Indicator
$530,000-$740,000 Value Indicator
¥9,930,000-¥13,910,000 Value Indicator
$70,000-$90,000 Value Indicator
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155 x 122cm, Edition of 85, Screenprint
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Meaning & Analysis
Charles The First is a screen print in colours on wove paper by Jean-Michel Basquiat, produced in 1982. In this ode to musician Charlie Parker, a leading figure in the bebop scene which formed a fundamental inspiration for Basquiat’s own musical exploits, the artist once again aggrandizes the subject of the piece by adorning the image with crowns as well as other symbols and motifs signifying greatness.
The allusions to superheroes, including Thor, whose name is written beneath a crown on the left panel, and Superman via the singular S which appears across the image in various guises, reinforces the sense of adulation. The conflation of Charlie Parker with King Charles I is another instance of Basquiat inserting Black icons into narratives of nobility and royalty.
The writing which appears at the bottom left of the piece (“most young kings get their head cut off”) alludes to both the beheading of Charles I in 1649 at the age of 24, and the death of the aforementioned musician who died at the age of 34. The triptych contains striking biographical detail: for example, the name of Parker’s daughter Pree appears in the central panel.