One of the most imposing paintings by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is set to headline the spring auction season in New York. It is the monumental canvas 'Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown)', created in 1983, which the auction house Sotheby's will offer with an initial estimate of up to $45 million. The work, over two meters tall, constitutes one of the most representative examples of the artist's New York period of greatest creative intensity. Adjusted for inflation, that figure would represent about $20.2 million today. Under that parameter, Sotheby's current estimate implies an increase of around 122% compared to its last public sale, a trend that has become constant for the artist. The work was acquired in 2013 at a Christie's auction in London for £9.3 million, equivalent then to about $14.5 million. It brings together symbols, graphics, and texts characteristic of his visual language, with explicit references to fame, power, and the commercialization of art.
