Flash in Naples
from  Superhero Portfolio

Medium: Screen-print in colors on 425 gm Saunders Waterford paper
Year: 1982/2022
Size: 40×40 inches (101.6 x 101.6 cm)
Edition: 85
Publisher: Flatiron Editions, New-York

Stamped and signed by Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, the artist’s sisters and administrators of the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat.

 

A striking example from Jean-Michel Basquiat’s celebrated oeuvre, Flash in Naples (1982-87/2022) is a screenprint reproduction of the 1983 canvas of the same title that depicts Flash – a comic superhero from the 1960s and 1970s. Characterized by a vibrant color palette and intensely gestural mark-making, the present lot showcases Basquiat’s appropriation of popular culture and the human body to address sociopolitical issues concerning race, identity and mortality. A dynamic mix of chaos and composition, Flash in Naples exhibits significant energy and movement through its intensely dynamic surface. For instance, the grid behind the running Flash on the left has been stretched to convey speed, while the exaggerated bodily features of the right Flash are reinforced by the larger gridded background that pushes the figure to the forefront of the work. Additionally, in the upper-right hand corner of the print, the word “emblem” has been inscribed and then scratched over. An intentional device typical of the artist’s work, Basquiat explained: “I cross out words so you will see them more: the fact that they are obscured makes you want to read them.”

Flash in Naples is part of the Superhero Portfolio – an edition comprising four screenprints of Basquiat’s original canvases featuring the artist’s personal heroes and idols. Taking inspiration from popular comic characters and symbols, Basquiat depicts Batman, Robin, and Flash alongside his iconic gestural marks and text. The series evokes a childlike spontaneity, while simultaneously showcasing a distinct awareness and command over composition. Combining bold colors and expressive brushwork, this portfolio exemplifies the unique style for which Basquiat is famed, while also symbolizing the artist’s status as one of the most significant artists of his generation.

This print is based on a painting that sold in November 2021 at Christie’s in New-York.

Christie’s New-York: 9 November 2021
Estimated: USD 14,000,000 – 18,000,000
USD 19,825,000

JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT (1960-1988)
Flash in Naples, 1983
Acrylic, oil and oilstick on canvas
66 x 60 1/8 inches (167.6 x 152.7 cm)

Rendered on a nearly five-foot square canvas, Flash in Naples centers around two images of the titular DC comic book hero complete with red spandex and lightning bolt insignia. The background is made up of an overlapping grid of primarily bright green lines with the occasional patch of orange, blue, and blue-green. These linear arrangements are set on a mottled ground of white paint or raw canvas with an area of dripping gray toward the lower middle section. The larger figure on the right faces the viewer with his hands behind his back (or missing entirely). The red costume he wears is form-fitting and complete with fuchsia briefs typical of the classic superhero. His cowl is pulled over his head leaving just his mouth full of colorful teeth exposed in a wane smirk. The winged ear accessories that reference the Roman god Mercury jut out like antennae on a 1950s science fiction robot.

To his left, another figure seems to be running at full speed, its body contorted in an active stride with red speed lines extending behind and a white arrow painted on its chest pointing the way forward. This dynamic character matches the unbridled energy of the composition as a whole. Its abstracted body undulates in scale as if in motion, and the way it crashes into the orderly gridwork creates a kinetic dichotomy with its otherwise stationary counterpart. Text reading ‘“IL” FLASH’, followed by a few partial words rests in the middle of the two red men. In the upper left, two arrows point right, guiding us to the blue-on-yellow lightning bolt in the right corner of the composition. Below this, the word ‘emblem’ in parentheses has been nearly completely obfuscated by brown marks, leaving only the letter ‘B’.

 

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Auction Results

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Phillips London: 21 September 2023
Estimated: GBP 45,000 – 55,000
GBP 57,150 / USD 70,286

Artnet Auctions: 31 August 2023
Estimated: USD 50,000 – 70,000
USD 62,500

AFTER JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT
Flash from Naples (from Superhero Portfolio), 1982-2022
Screenprint in colors on 425 gm Saunders Waterford paper
Numbered 44/85 in pencil
Signed and dated in pencil by Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Herivaux
The artist’s sisters and administrators of the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat
With the Estate stamp on the reverse

Artnet Auctions: 13 July 2023
Estimated: 50,000 – 70,000
USD 93,750

AFTER JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT
Flash from Naples (from Superhero Portfolio), 1982–2022
Screen-print in colors on 425 gm Saunders Waterford paper
Numbered 42/85 in pencil
Signed and dated in pencil by Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Herivaux
The artist’s sisters and administrators of the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat
With the Estate stamp on the reverse