Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump

Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump
Artist	Jean-Michel Basquiat
Year	1982
Medium	Oil on canvas
Movement	Neo-expressionism
Dimensions	240 cm× 420 cm(96 in× 164 in)
Location	Art Institute of Chicago (formerly)
Owner	Ken Griffin

Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump is a painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1982. The artwork, which depicts a boy with a dog, is among the most expensive paintings ever purchased. It was purchased for over $100 million in 2020, becoming Basquiat's second most expensive painting following Untitled (1982), which was sold for $110.5 million in 2017. ^[1]

History

Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump was executed by Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1982, which is considered his landmark year. Reflecting on that period in an interview with The New York Times in 1985, Basquiat said: "I had some money, I made the best paintings ever." ^[2] Measuring at nearly 14 feet wide and 8 feet high, the painting depicts a skeletal black boy and dog painted in similar style. They're center of the canvas in the spray of an open fire hydrant. A johnny pump is a New York slang term for a fire hydrant that is open in the summer for kids to play in the water. ^[3] The warm colors suggest a "blazing hot summer landscape." ^[4]

In June 2020, it was reported that American businessman and art collector Ken Griffin purchased the painting for more than $100 million from American businessman and art collector Peter Brant. ^{[5] [6]} Brant's Basquiat collection was exhibited in 2019 at the Brant Foundation in New York. ^[7] The sale was reportedly finalized before the COVID-19 pandemic earlier that year. ^[4] A spokesman for Citadel, Griffin's investment firm, released a statement that "the vast majority of Ken's art collection is on display at museums for the public to enjoy. He intends to share this piece as well." ^[4]

In 2017, well-known British street artist Banksy created a tribute piece for Basquiat's Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump, which is permanently installed outside of the Barbican Centre in London titled Portrait of Basquiat being welcomed by the Metropolitan police. ^[8]

Exhibitions

Ken Griffin, who is a trustee and financial benefactor of the Art Institute of Chicago, loaned Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump to the museum in July 2020. ^[4]

Griffin removed the painting from The Art Institute of Chicago when he moved to Palm Beach in 2022. The painting has not been put back on public display as of yet.

The painting had previously been exhibited at the following art institutions:

• Jean-Michel Basquiat at Serpentine Gallery in London, March–April 1996. ^[9]
• Basquiat at Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, October 2010–January 2011; ^[10] Brant Foundation in New York, March–May 2019. ^[7]

See also

• List of paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat
• List of most expensive paintings
• 1982 in art

References

1. Kazakina, Katya (June 4, 2020). "Ken Griffin Buys Basquiat Painting for More Than $100 Million". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 2020-06-26. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
2. Halperin, Julia (June 14, 2017). "Here Are All the Basquiats at Art Basel, Worth $89 Million". artnet News. Archived from the original on 2017-06-14. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
3. Hamill, Denis (May 24, 2010). "Johnny Pump unleashes flood of childhood memories". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
4. Johnson, Steve (July 25, 2020). "Now hanging at the Art Institute: Chicago billionaire Ken Griffin's new, $100 million Basquiat canvas". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
5. Kamp, Justin (June 5, 2020). "Hedge Fund Manager Ken Griffin Buys Basquiat Painting for More Than $100 Million". Artsy. Archived from the original on 2020-10-26. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
6. Block, Fang (June 5, 2020). "Ken Griffin Buys a Jean-Michel Basquiat for More Than $100 Million". www.barrons.com. Archived from the original on 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
7. Nicolaou, Tania (April 17, 2019). "Jean-Michel Basquiat at Brant Foundation: 'Every Single Line Means Something'". Fine Art Globe. Archived from the original on 2019-11-08. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
8. Schulze, Martin (21 August 2023). "Banksy vs. Basquiat – Who did it better? Boy & Dog in a Johnnypump". publicdelivery.org. Martin Schulze. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
9. "Jean-Michel Basquiat". Serpentine Galleries. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
10. "Basquiat". Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris. Archived from the original on 2018-05-21. Retrieved 2020-10-01.