The Field Next to the Other Road is a painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1981. It sold for $37.1 million at Christie's in May 2015.[1]

The Field Next to the Other Road
Artist	Jean-Michel Basquiat
Year	1981
Medium	Acrylic, enamel spray paint, oilstick, metallic paint and ink on canvas
Movement	Neo-expressionism
Dimensions	220.9 cm × 401.3 cm (87.0 in × 158.0 in)

History

The Field Next to the Other Road was executed in 1981, an important year in Basquiat's career, in which he made the transition from a street artist to an established gallery artist in New York's downtown art scene.[2] Basquiat was invited to Modena, Italy by art dealer Emilio Mazzoli after he saw his work at New York's MoMA PS1 in February 1981.[3] In Modena, Basquiat commenced a series of paintings for his first solo exhibition at Galleria d'Arte Emilio Mazzoli in May 1981.[4] Among the paintings created was The Field Next to the Other Road, a depiction of skeletal man walking a cow.

In May 2015, the painting sold for $37.1 million at Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale in New York.[1] In December 2015, the painting was still owned by the consignor, art dealer Tony Shafrazi.[5] In February 2016, Christie's sued art dealer Jose Mugrabi, and Mugrabi family firm, the Jombihis Corporation, for $32.1 million (plus interest and fees).[6][7] Jose Mugrabi had bid on a client's behalf when he won the painting, but the client backed out of the sale and the Mugrabis missed two deadlines to pay the remaining balance.[8] Christie's and the Mugrabis reached an amicable settlement in March 2016—with Mugrabi taking ownership of the painting and agreeing to pay his bill in full.[8]

Exhibitions

The Field Next to the Other Road has been exhibited at major art institutions worldwide, which include:

• SAMO at Galleria d'Arte Emilio Mazzoli in Modena, May–June 1981.[9]
• Jean-Michel Basquiat at Galleria Mario Diacono in Rome, October–November 1982.[9]
• Jean-Michel Basquiat: A Tribute, Important Paintings, Drawings & Objects at Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York, September–November 1996.[9]
• Jean-Michel Basquiat at Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York, April–June 1998.[9]
• Jean-Michel Basquiat at Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York, October–November 1999.[10]
• Picasso Bacon Basquiat at Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York, May–July 2004.[9]
• Dubuffet / Basquiat, Personal Histories at Pace Wildenstein in New York, April–June 2006.[9]
• The Jean-Michel Basquiat Show at Fondazione La Triennale di Milano in Milan, September 2006–January 2007.[9]
• Four Friends at Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York, October 2007–February 2008.[9]
• Basquiat at Fondation Beyeler in Switzerland, May–September 2010; Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, October 2010–January 2011.[9]

See also

• List of paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat

References