Zenith is a painting created by American artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol in 1985. It sold for $11.4 million at Phillips in May 2014, the highest price paid at auction for a Warhol-Basquiat collaboration.[1]

Zenith
Artist	Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol
Year	1985
Medium	Acrylic on canvas
Movement	Neo-expressionism and pop art
Dimensions	297 cm × 673 cm (117 in × 265 in)

History

Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat were formally introduced by art dealer Bruno Bischofberger in October 1982.[2] They became creative partners and their prolific friendship defined the 1980s New York art scene.[3] Artist Ronnie Cutrone, and assistant to Warhol, said: "It was like some crazy art-world marriage and they were the odd couple. The relationship was symbiotic. Jean-Michel thought he needed Andy’s fame and Andy thought he needed Jean-Michel’s new blood. Jean-Michel gave Andy a rebellious image."[2]

From 1984 to 1985, Warhol and Basquiat created a series of large paintings together. Their collaborations ended after their joint exhibition, Paintings, at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery drew poor reviews in September 1985.[4][5] Their collaborative works merged their two styles. Warhol would start by painting a commercial image and then Basquiat would add his own flare. Describing the process, Basquiat said: "He would put something very concrete or recognizable, like a newspaper headline or a product logo, and I would sort of deface it, and then I would try to get him to work some more on it, and then I would work more on it."[6] Zenith is titled after electronics company Zenith, whose red logo is centered on the canvas. It sold for $11.4 million at the Phillips Contemporary Art Evening Sale in May 2014, becoming the most expensive painting from their collaborations sold at auction.[1][7]

Exhibitions

Zenith has been exhibited at the following art institutions:

• Warhol-Basquiat: Collaborations at Didier Imbert Fine Art in Paris, September 29–November 25, 1989.[8]
• Collaborations – Warhol/Basquiat/Clemente at Fridericianum in Kassel, Germany, February–May 1996; Villa Stuck in Munich, Germany, July–September 1996; Museo d'Arte Contemporanea, Castello di Rivoli, in Italy, October 1996–January 1997.[8]
• Andy Warhol: A Factory at Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg in Wolfsburg, October 1998–January 1999; Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, May1999–September 1999); Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, October 1999–April 2000.[8]
• Warhol, Basquiat, Clemente: Obras En Colaboracion at Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, Italy, February–April 2002.[8]
• The Andy Warhol Show at Fondazione La Triennale di Milano in Italy, September 2004–January 2005.[8]
• Skulls at Galerie Bruno Bischofberger in Zurich, December 2005–February 2006.[8]

See also

• List of paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat

References