$500 Million on Basquiat: One Billionaire’s Buying Spree
February 4, 2026
One collector. One artist. Nearly $500 million spent. Citadel founder Ken Griffin has reportedly been acquiring Jean-Michel Basquiat works at an unprecedented scale — including a $35M private sale and earlier $100M+ purchases. As major works disappear into private collections, the Basquiat market keeps accelerating. Is this smart collecting — or market distortion?
Works by Jean-Michel Basquiat
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Wolf Sausage, King Brand, Untitled (Dog Leg Study), Undiscovered Genius
Great Wind of Sphenoid, from Anatomy
Cabeza, from Portfolio II
Untitled 4 (from Leonardo)
Flash In Naples, from Superhero Portfolio
Untitled 1, from The Figure Portfolio
Untitled 2, from The Figure Portfolio
Untitled 1 (from Leonardo)
King Alphonso
Thyroid, from Anatomy
The Scapula, from Anatomy
Untitled 4, from The Figure Portfolio
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