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Jean-Michel Basquiat — Three Kinds of Fences
Jean-Michel Basquiat

Three Kinds of Fences

A raw and visceral work on paper, this piece showcases Basquiat's signature visual language of jagged lines, fragmented text, and bold mark-making rendered in oil stick. The three fence structures serve as both literal and symbolic barriers, evoking themes of division, confinement, and social boundaries that pervaded much of the artist's work. Characteristic crown motifs, scratched-out words, and gestural energy pulse throughout the composition, reflecting Basquiat's roots in New York's graffiti culture and his unflinching commentary on race and power.

Medium
oil stick on paper

🔨 Auction Lot

Contemporary Art Day Sale

May 17, 2013

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About this work

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Three Kinds of Fences

A raw and visceral work on paper, this piece showcases Basquiat's signature visual language of jagged lines, fragmented text, and bold mark-making rendered in oil stick. The three fence structures serve as both literal and symbolic barriers, evoking themes of division, confinement, and social boundaries that pervaded much of the artist's work. Characteristic crown motifs, scratched-out words, and gestural energy pulse throughout the composition, reflecting Basquiat's roots in New York's graffiti culture and his unflinching commentary on race and power.

Medium
oil stick on paper
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

Bold, American, Energetic, Expressive, Gestural, Oil Stick On Paper, Abstract, Neo-Expressionism, Figurative, Contemporary

More works by Jean-Michel Basquiat

Collected by

Sebastián In Situ, Sarah Greenspan, Hamilton Selway Gallery, Alex Capecelatro, Nicholas Blum, Lisa Rembrandt, Sebastián Naranjo