Lars Ulrich just sold a Jean Michel-Basquiat painting for $13.5 million at an auction in New York City. Christie's said the price Lars sold "Untitled Boxer" for exceeded the pre-auction estimate of more than $12 million. Not a bad price if you aske me.
The 1982 painting by the famed graffiti artist shows a black heavyweight fighter with his arms in the air against a white graffiti background. The painting was the highlight of a 2005 traveling retrospective of Basquiat, who died in 1988 of a drug overdose at the age of 27.
Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist. He gained popularity first as a graffiti artist in New York, and then as a successful Neo-expressionist artist in the 80s. Basquiat's paintings continue to influence modern day artists and command high prices.
Lars father had many artists as friends when Lars was a kid and this is probably the reason why Ulrich has such a passion for paintings.
