The rumors are all but officially confirmed: Kim Kardashian was likely the anonymous buyer who acquired a critical Jean-Michel Basquiat canvas from Christie’s back in October 2017. Snippets of the $4.9 million artwork have appeared in the reality TV mogul’s social media posts over the past year, but a recent Instagram update from momager Kris Jenner included an angle that was especially revealing.
Jenner captured Basquiat’s Both Poles (1982) in all its lunar glory amid a 14-photo carousel documenting a Wicked pre-screening party Kardashian hosted at her home at the end of October. Jenner’s first image shows her brood—except Kendall—surrounding Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande on the green carpet. Everyone is wearing pink and green PJs, provided on site for ultimate viewing comfort. Both Poles appears in Jenner’s seventh photo.
In 2023, Kardashian posted three photos of her youngest daughter Chicago eating ramen noodles in a pink unicorn onesie. The internet went wild shortly afterwards, postulating that the black and white canvas behind her that read “south pole” in that familiar scrawl was a Basquiat artwork.
Jenner’s latest post leaves nothing to the imagination, however. As Instagram account Celebrity Home pointed out, the painting’s black crescent moon, pickaxe, and pylon all match Both Poles. Christie’s last sold this artwork for £3.7 million ($4.9 million) during its post-war and contemporary art evening sale on October 6, 2017, according to the Artnet Price Database. The previous owner bought Both Poles from Basquiat’s fabled Los Angeles debut with Larry Gagosian in 1982.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Both Poles (1982). Photo courtesy of Christie’s Images Ltd.
Whereas much of Basquiat’s artwork emits energetic colors, this specimen more closely echoes his seminal inspiration, Franz Kline, with a black and white palette dreamily accented by decisive strokes of soft, dripping pink paint. “The work clearly and elegantly reveals Basquiat’s wide-ranging command of symbol and significance,” an accompanying essay explained. At its four corners are signature twine-bound wooden stretchers that Basquiat’s assistant, the former bouncer Stephen Torton, had finally affixed.
Basquiat created the work, depicting a moonlit mountain range, after a trip to Zurich with his art dealer. Its surface includes a map of the moon’s oceans and craters. Here, Basquiat reminds viewers that science contains emotion and that even celestial bodies bear humanity’s imprint.
It’s not particularly surprising that Kardashian scooped up this particular Basquiat. She’s a fierce bidder who notably battled with Tom Brady over a George Condo last year, and her family has increasingly built its own lane in the art world. Kylie Jenner has her own Basquiat above her fireplace; Kendall Jenner harbors a well-publicized affinity for James Turrell; and Kris Jenner just bought a new Hap Tivey piece courtesy of art advisor Avery Andon.
One has to wonder whether Kardashian moved Both Poles to this spot because it complemented the Wicked color scheme. At least it’s not languishing in storage.