In This Case Auction History

Provenance: Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zürich; Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris; private collection, Europe; anonymous sale, Sotheby’s, New York, 12 Nov 2002, lot 26; Gagosian Gallery, New York; acquired from Gagosian by Giancarlo Giammetti in 2007; consigned by Giammetti and sold at Christie’s, New York, 11 May 2021; present location: private collection [1][2][3].

Market significance: In This Case is widely cited as one of Basquiat’s three monumental head/skull canvases—the so‑called “holy trinity” with Untitled (1981, The Broad) and the 1982 Untitled that set the artist’s auction record. Its status within this iconic theme makes it a bellwether for top‑tier Basquiat demand [6][9].

At Christie’s New York on 11 May 2021, the painting realized $93,105,000 (hammer $81,000,000), carrying a third‑party guarantee and an estimate in excess of $50 million; it anchored the inaugural 21st Century Evening Sale and became Basquiat’s second‑highest auction result at the time [3][8][13]. The price and placement underscored confidence at the top of the market for blue‑chip Contemporary works and for Basquiat’s most recognized imagery.

The work’s value trajectory is striking: it first appeared publicly at Sotheby’s New York on 12 November 2002, bringing a reported $999,500 including premium—a fraction of its 2021 result—illustrating the dramatic expansion of Basquiat’s market over two decades [2][7][3]. Robust exhibition history, including Fondation Louis Vuitton’s major 2018–19 retrospective, further supports its blue‑chip status and institutional relevance [4][1].

Comparable benchmarks frame this result near the apex of Basquiat’s market: the 1982 skull painting made $110.5m at Sotheby’s in 2017 (the artist’s record) [9]; another 1982 canvas achieved $85m at Phillips in 2022 [10]; and the 1983 masterwork El Gran Espectáculo (The Nile) realized $67.1m at Christie’s in 2023 [11]. Parallel demand across regions—exemplified by strong 2021 Basquiat results in Hong Kong—highlights the artist’s global collector base and liquidity at the highest level [12].