To any art patron, the names of Jean Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol are enough to illicit excitement. The artworks of two of the world’s most talented post-modern artists are highly sought after and the moment any of their works are put up for sale, it’s sure to get sold immediately.
That is, if there’s no global financial crisis to worry about. In a recent auction held at Christie’s New York, artworks by both Basquiat and Warhol were left unsold. It sounds unprecendented to me especially since these are pieces that would usually command great prices and a feeding frenzy from art patrons around the world. Basquiat and Warhol not selling just means that even the filthy rich are also working on a budget right now. I dunno if this realization makes me feel better or bad.