La Hara (1981 painting)

La Hara is an abstract painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1981. The artwork, which depicts a skeletal police officer, sold for $35 million at Christie's in May 2017.[1]

La Hara
Year1981
MediumAcrylic and oilstick on wood panel
MovementNeo-expressionism
Dimensions180 cm × 121.3 cm (72 in × 47.75 in)

History

Jean-Michel Basquiat painted La Hara in 1981, a pivotal moment when he transitioned from street artist to an art world sensation. He began working in the basement of Annina Nosei's gallery in SoHo where La Hara was executed. Basquiat's early paintings from this period are considered his most valuable.[2]

Analysis

La Hara is one of the few works of white men painted by Basquiat. The artwork depicts a menacing white skeletal figure wearing a peaked cap against a red background. Basquiat incorporates vivid colors and diagrams throughout the painting. The word "LA HARA" is written multiple times on the left side of the figure. Drawing from his Puerto Rican culture, la hara derives from the Nuyorican term la jara, slang for police, which is a play on the Irish surname O'Hara.[3] O'Hara was considered a common surname for New York police officers during the 1940s and 1950s.[4] The bottom of the painting is gray with steel jail cell bars.

Exhibitions

The painting first appeared at auction when it sold at Sotheby's for $341,000 in 1989.[5] It was later sold privately to American businessman and art collector Steve Cohen.[5] The artwork sold for $35 million at Christie's post-war and contemporary art auction in May 2017, which exceeded the pre-sale estimate of $28 million.[1][6]

La Hara has been exhibited at major art institutions worldwide, which include:

See also

References
  1. Crow, Kelly (2017-05-18). "Christie's Sale Soars as Collectors Sink Fortunes Into Art". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  2. Ruiz, Cristina (October 4, 2017). "The market boom for Basquiat". The Art Newspaper. Archived from the original on 2020-11-27. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  3. "'I Don't Think the Cop Is My Friend'; So say many of New Year's Puerto Ricans, accusing the police of prejudice and brutality.And the police report: 'why don't they learn their responsibilities as citizens?'". The New York Times. March 29, 1964. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-07-09. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  4. Kazakina, Katya (April 7, 2017). "Steven Cohen Is Selling His $28 Million Basquiat Cop Painting". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 2021-05-11. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  5. "Christie's Will Sell a Basquiat From Steve Cohen for $28M". artnet News. April 10, 2017. Archived from the original on 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  6. Maneker, Marion (June 9, 2017). "What We Need to See Next In the Basquiat Market". Art Market Monitor. Archived from the original on 2020-10-25. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  7. "Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988), La Hara". Christie's. Archived from the original on 2020-04-19. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  8. "Jean-Michel Basquiat at Fondation Beyeler". www.artforum.com. Archived from the original on 2020-10-11. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  9. "Basquiat". Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris. Archived from the original on 2018-05-21. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  10. "Jean-Michel Basquiat, 555 West 24th Street, New York, February 7–April 6, 2013". Gagosian. 2018-04-12. Archived from the original on 2020-12-22. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  11. Parsons, Lee (May 8, 2015). "Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Art Gallery of Ontario: Graffiti, fame and the art market". World Socialist Web Site. Archived from the original on 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  12. "Basquiat's "Defacement": The Untold Story | Guggenheim Museum | Artsy". www.artsy.net. Archived from the original on 2020-10-13. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
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