Dustheads is a 1982 painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1982. In May 2013, it sold for $48.8 million at Christie's, which at the time was a record high for a Basquiat painting sold at auction.[1]
History
Dustheads depicts two drug addicts on angel dust as frenetic radiant characters immersed in black backdrop.[2] The painting was previously in the collection of Tiqui Atencio, who purchased it from art dealer Tony Shafrazi in 1996.[3]
In May 2013, businessman Jho Low purchased it for $48.8 million at Christie's, which at the time was the record for most expensive Basquiat painting sold at auction.[1] The record was surpassed by Untitled (1982), a depiction of a devil, for $57.3 million at a Christie's auction in 2016.[4] The next year, Basquiat set a new record high with Untitled (1982), a depiction of a skull, for $110.5 million at Sotheby's.[5]
In 2016, Low sold Dustheads at a loss for $35 million amidst an investigation by federal authorities regarding assets allegedly bought with funds stolen from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) development fund.[6][7]
