It is not often that new, mint copies of a rare, historically important gallery announcement-card suddenly appear seemingly out of nowhere. But this is exactly what happened recently with a highly prized 1982 card, printed by the Annina Nosei Gallery to promote Jean-Michel Basquiat’s first print portfolio, Anatomy. No, the new cards are not fake! The fact that mint copies disappeared, and have now re-surfaced is a reflection of Basquiat’s mercurial personality, as well as, his phenomenal early success.
Anatomy was published by the Annina Nosei Gallery in summer 1982, just before Basquiat decided to leave the gallery. The promotional cards for Anatomy were already printed, but because of Basquiat’s departure, Nosei hesitated to send them out. A few months later, Nosei exhibited the Anatomy portfolio in the backroom of her gallery, and a new promotional card was printed. Since the portfolio quickly sold out, there was no need for the first set of cards, which remained largely untouched in the gallery’s closet before being rediscovered after the gallery closed.
Through Nosei, Gallery 98 was able to acquire the bulk of these cards, which we are now offering for a limited time at a bargain price.
Basquiat’s Studio in The Basement of The Annina Nosei Gallery
Without question Annina Nosei was one of Basquiat’s most ardent early supporters. Yet, like many connected to the life and career of this sadly short-lived great artist, she has found herself a subject of controversy. Her decision to allow Basquiat to work in the 2,000 square-foot basement of her gallery led to outlandish false charges that continue to reemerge. In Ismael Reed’s recent satirical play The Slave Who Loved Caviar, Nosei is referred to as a “slave driver” who locked Basquiat in a “dungeon,” and fed him drugs to make him work harder. The fact that this offensive, fictional narrative upset Basquiat while he was still alive, as much as it did Nosei, is clear from the excerpt of an interview by Gallery 98 founder Marc H. Miller for Paul Tschinkel’s videotape, series ART/new York, 1982.
What About The Story That You Were Locked in a Basement and Made to Paint?
“That just has a nasty edge to it. I was never locked anywhere. Ahh, Christ. If I was white, they would just say ‘artist in residence,’ rather than say all of that other stuff.”
Excerpt from an interview with Jean-Michel Basquiat by Marc H. Miller done for Paul Tschinkel’s videotape series Art/new york, 1982. The full interview is available on Vimeo On Demand.
The full 1982 interview with Jean-Michel Basquiat is available on Vimeo On Demand.
