Jean Michel Basquiat's Infantry to lead #TTTOP sale

Jean Michel Basquiat's Infantry (1983) looks set to lead Sotheby's #TTTOP sale in Hong Kong, with an estimate of $3.8m-5.1m.

The auction is curated by K-pop star and actor T.O.P., who is himself an avid art collector.

Basquiat Infantry 1983
Basquiat painted Infantry as the hype surrounding him reached fever pitch

Infantry dates to the height of Basquiat's fame.

In 1983 his work was featured in the Whitney Biennial and he was becoming an increasingly well-known figure around the world.

Much of Basquiat's work at the time was inspired by cartoons - an aesthetic that is clearly evident in this piece.

It last sold for £2.4m ($3.8m) at Christie's in 2014.

Basquiat's work has only gone up in value over the last few years; with a new auction record set earlier this year.

The present lot is a large piece (it measures over two metres across), which will widen its appeal to collectors. It has a good chance of substantially exceeding its estimate.

Park Seo-bo's Ecriture No. 222-85 (1985) is expected to make $1m-1.5m.

Seo-bo began work on his Ecriture series in the 1970s. This example is executed in pencil and oil on canvas and consists of a typically delicate, repetitive pattern of lines.

There has been an explosion in Seo-bo's price point of late as the work of the Korean minimalists has become increasingly fashionable.

His auction record stands at $1.2m, set at Christie's in 2015.

The previous year it had been set at $55,432 for a comparable work.  

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