The $110 Million Skull: The Meaning Behind Basquiat's Iconic Motif
August 8, 2026
Why did Basquiat keep painting skulls? 💀 One sold for over $110 MILLION — the most ever paid for an American artist at auction. The answer traces back to a childhood accident and a copy of Gray's Anatomy that changed art forever. His skulls are X-ray visions: life and death, destitution and divinity, all at once. See iconic Basquiat works at Guy Hepner, NYC. 🖤
Works by Jean-Michel Basquiat
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Great Wind of Sphenoid, from Anatomy
Untitled 4 (from Leonardo)
Hollywood Africans
Academic Study Of The Male Figure
In Color
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Untitled 1 (from Leonardo)
The Scapula, from Anatomy
Three Views of The Shoulder Joint Opened, from Anatomy
Female Pelvis, Back View, from Anatomy
Cabeza, from Portfolio II
Untitled 1, from The Figure Portfolio
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