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Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump is a painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1982. The artwork, which depicts a boy with a dog, is among the most expensive paintings ever purchased. It was purchased for over $100 million in 2020, becoming Basquiat's second most expensive painting following Untitled (1982), which was sold for $110.5 million in 2017.[1]

Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump
Artist	Jean-Michel Basquiat
Year	1982
Medium	Oil on canvas
Movement	Neo-expressionism
Dimensions	240 cm × 420 cm (96 in × 164 in)
Location	Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
Owner	Ken Griffin

History

Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump was executed by Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1982, which is considered his landmark year. Reflecting on that period in an interview with The New York Times in 1985, Basquiat said: "I had some money, I made the best paintings ever."[2] Measuring at nearly 14 feet wide and 8 feet high, the painting depicts a skeletal black boy and dog painted in similar style. They're center of the canvas in the spray of an open fire hydrant. A johnny pump is a New York slang term for a fire hydrant that is open in the summer for kids to play in the water.[3] The warm colors suggest a "blazing hot summer landscape."[4]

In June 2020, it was reported that American businessman and art collector Ken Griffin purchased the painting for more than $100 million from American businessman and art collector Peter Brant.[5][6] Brant's Basquiat collection was exhibited in 2019 at the Brant Foundation in New York.[7] The sale was reportedly finalized before the COVID-19 pandemic earlier that year.[4] A spokesman for Citadel, Griffin's investment firm, released a statement that "the vast majority of Ken's art collection is on display at museums for the public to enjoy. He intends to share this piece as well."[4]

Exhibitions

Ken Griffin, who is a trustee and financial benefactor of the Art Institute of Chicago, loaned Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump to the museum in July 2020.[4]

The painting had previously been exhibited at the following art institutions:

• Jean-Michel Basquiat at Serpentine Gallery in London, March–April 1996.[8]
• Basquiat at Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, October 2010–January 2011;[9] Brant Foundation in New York, March–May 2019.[7]

See also

• List of paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat
• List of most expensive paintings

References

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