BASQUIAT’S 1983 MASTERPIECE HEADED TO SOTHEBY’S WITH $45 MILLION ESTIMATE

Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1983 painting “Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown)” is set to go under the hammer at Sotheby’s New York this May, with an estimated value of $45 million. The monumental work belongs to a suite of 12 towering canvases from one of the most prolific periods of Basquiat’s career, showcasing his bold visual language and complex symbolism.

The painting will be on public view starting tomorrow through March 15 at Sotheby’s new headquarters at the Breuer before traveling to Sotheby’s locations in Hong Kong, Los Angeles, and London. It will return to Madison Avenue in time for The Contemporary Evening Auction, where it is expected to be a standout lot.

Considered one of Basquiat’s most ambitious and intricate works, Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown) captures a peak moment in the artist’s creative evolution and remains a symbol of his enduring influence on contemporary art.