Basquiat’s Baby Boom Takes Center Stage at Christie’s
Basquiat’s Baby Boom leads Christie’s 21st Century Evening Sale with a 1982 portrait layered in symbolism, legacy, and rarity.
Christie’s is proud to present Baby Boom by Jean-Michel Basquiat as the star of its upcoming 21st Century Evening Sale, taking place May 14 in New York during Spring Marquee Week.
Estimated at $20 to $30 million, this striking work was painted in 1982, a landmark year in Basquiat’s career, during which he produced many of his most sought-after masterpieces.
Titled in reference to the post–World War II surge in birthrates, Baby Boom is a powerful triple portrait believed to depict the artist with his parents: Basquiat, his father, Gerard, and his mother, Matilda.
Adorned with radiant crowns and rendered on a stretcher bar frame, the composition evokes the structure of a Renaissance triptych and explores themes of heritage, identity, and spirituality.
“First exhibited at the Fun Gallery in 1982, this is one of Basquiat’s most compelling portrait works,” says Isabella Lauria, Head of the 21st Century Evening Sale. “We’re honored to feature it as the centerpiece of our spring auction.”
With a remarkable exhibition history that includes major retrospectives at the Brooklyn Museum, Fondation Beyeler, and Fondation Louis Vuitton, Baby Boom stands as a defining work from one of contemporary art’s most iconic figures.
