Jean-Michel Basquiat Ramus of Mandible, from Anatomy For Sale

Edition

Edition of 18 plus 7 AP numbered in Roman Numerals

In 1982, Basquiat released Anatomy, his inaugural print series comprising 18 silkscreen prints, each produced in editions of 18. Set against a solid black background are Basquiat's white anatomical sketches, individually spotlighting various segments of the human body.The print's clinical demeanor and minimal composition starkly contrast with the prevailing perception of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s vibrant and chaotic graffiti-inspired artworks. The simplistic portrayal of bodily elements accentuates the artist’s proclamation: “I want to create paintings that appear childlike.”While Basquiat annotates each depicted body part in this x-ray-esque depiction, subtle indications of omissions and errant strokes surface, such as the absence of an ‘a’ in ‘phalanges’ and a stray line adjacent to the 'radius' annotation. These instances hint at the lexical experimentation and textual disruption prevalent in Basquiat’s larger canvases.