Basquiat Painting Estimated at Over $45M Heads to Sotheby's Auction

The 1983 work 'Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown)' is poised to become one of the most expensive Basquiat pieces ever sold.

Mar. 10, 2026 at 3:09pm

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A 1983 painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat titled 'Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown)' is set to hit the auction block at Sotheby's this May with an estimate 'in excess of $45 million.' The work last sold at auction in 2013 for $14.6 million, indicating a significant increase in value. The painting was on long-term loan to the Fondation Beyeler museum in Switzerland from 2013 to 2018 and was later featured in a 2019 Basquiat exhibition at a private museum in New York owned by collector Peter Brant.

Why it matters

Basquiat's works have continued to shatter auction records, with his current record standing at $110.5 million set in 2017. The sale of this painting at Sotheby's will be a closely watched event, as it is one of the most expensive artworks set to hit the auction block during the upcoming May New York sales, which are seen as a bellwether moment for the US and international art market.

The details

The seven-foot-tall 'Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown)' combines Basquiat's signature scrawled text and graffiti-like imagery to comment on power dynamics, the flow of money, and racism. It includes phrases like 'Hooverville,' a reference to shantytowns built during the Great Depression, and 'Priceless Art,' alluding to the art market. Sotheby's chairman of contemporary art, Grégoire Billault, called the work 'a storied masterpiece' that is 'executed at the height of [Basquiat's] career, on an impressive scale, and charged with the imagery and language that made his work instantly recognizable.'

  • The painting last sold at auction in 2013 for $14.6 million.
  • It was on long-term loan to the Fondation Beyeler museum in Switzerland from 2013 to 2018.
  • The painting was featured in a 2019 Basquiat exhibition at a private museum in New York owned by collector Peter Brant.

The players

Jean-Michel Basquiat

An American artist who rose to prominence in the 1980s, known for his distinctive style that combined text, symbols, and imagery to explore themes of power, racism, and the art world.

Sotheby's

A renowned auction house that will be selling the Basquiat painting in its upcoming May New York sales.

Peter Brant

A prominent art collector whose private museum in New York hosted an exhibition featuring the Basquiat painting in 2019.

Fondation Beyeler

A museum in Riehen, Switzerland that had the Basquiat painting on long-term loan from 2013 to 2018.

Grégoire Billault

The chairman of contemporary art at Sotheby's, who described the Basquiat painting as a 'storied masterpiece.'

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What they’re saying

“Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown) is a storied masterpiece, executed at the height of [Basquiat's] career, on an impressive scale, and charged with the imagery and language that made his work instantly recognizable.”

— Grégoire Billault, Chairman of Contemporary Art, Sotheby's

The takeaway

The upcoming sale of this Basquiat painting at Sotheby's underscores the continued demand and skyrocketing prices for the artist's work, which has cemented his status as one of the most sought-after and valuable contemporary artists on the market.