The estate of Jean-Michael Basquiat is coming out with a new screenprint to be available from Pace Prints starting November 5. Produced in an edition of 60, the print reproduces a drawing that dates to 1982–83, around five years before the artist’s death in 1988.
Titled King Alphonso, the work was composed with acrylic and charcoal and references a Spanish monarch nicknamed “El Africano” during his reign from 1886 to 1931. King Alphonso III became a monarch at birth, as his father had died the year before, and was known for having so-called Africanist views in favor of Spanish colonization of Africa following the loss of territories after the Spanish-American War.
“Basquiat invokes this controversial monarch to explore his recurring themes of race, power, and identity in a historical context,” reads a Pace Prints press release announcing the new edition. “Expertly placing his crown atop the King’s head, Basquiat self-identifies with King Alphonso, configuring his own historical legacy, while simultaneously divulging his extensive historical prowess and stylistic proficiency.”
Basquiat’s iconic three-point crown was a recurring motif for the artist, who employed it in numerous works among other symbological characters. “Jean-Michel’s crown has three peaks, for his three royal lineages: the poet, the musician, the great boxing champion,” Francisco Clemente, fellow artist and storied Basquiat friend, once said.
The King Alphonso print, published by Flatiron Editions, will be stamped and signed by Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, Basquiat’s sisters and administrators of his estate. In 2022, they organized “King Pleasure,” an exhibition in New York of some 100 works held by the estate, many of which had never been shown.
Just last week, the block of Great Jones Street between Bowery and Lafayette Avenue where Basquiat lived and worked before his death was designated as “Jean-Michel Basquiat Way.”
