Flexible
Flexible
Unsigned Print
Jean-Michel Basquiat
£20,000-£29,000 VALUE (EST.)
$35,000-$50,000 VALUE (EST.)
$35,000-$50,000 VALUE (EST.)
¥170,000-¥240,000 VALUE (EST.)
€23,000-€35,000 VALUE (EST.)
$190,000-$280,000 VALUE (EST.)
¥3,210,000-¥4,650,000 VALUE (EST.)
$25,000-$35,000 VALUE (EST.)
This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
Screenprint, 2016
Unsigned Print Edition of 85
H 152cm x W 115cm
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Toni Clayton, American Pop & Modern Specialist
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Artwork | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2021 | Bonhams New Bond Street - United Kingdom | Flexible - Unsigned Print | |||
| October 2021 | Sotheby's Hong Kong - Hong Kong | Flexible - Unsigned Print | |||
| January 2021 | Phillips London - United Kingdom | Flexible - Unsigned Print | |||
| March 2020 | Christie's New York - United States | Flexible - Unsigned Print | |||
| September 2018 | Poly Auction Hong Kong Limited - Hong Kong | Flexible - Unsigned Print | |||
| June 2018 | Phillips London - United Kingdom | Flexible - Unsigned Print |
Meaning & Analysis
Flexible is a screen print in colours by Jean-Michel Basquiat, produced in 1984. This print depicts a human figure with arms which appear to be joined up. The figure is a West African griot, a storyteller who would be responsible for passing on tribal histories and genealogies. The image is a primary example of the influence of West African culture on Basquiat’s oeuvre. Basquiat made one trip to Africa, in August 1986 for an exhibition organised by art dealer Bruno Bischofberger at the French Cultural Institute of Cote D’Ivoire.
The figure, with its interlocked limbs, projects omniscience and authority. Unlike the figures surrounded by a cacophony of images, scrawls and loud colours, the figure of Flexible bears an air of stillness and calm. Nevertheless, we still see the internal body emerging through the figure’s skin, with lungs and the spine drawn in white, appearing to protrude from the subject’s body.
The print is based on a painting on wood created in the same year as the printing. Basquiat used a section of a fence from his studio in Venice, California. A similar slatted wood material was used for other works such as Gold Griot (1984) and Jim Crow (1986).
