• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Subscribe
  • Fashion
  • Sneakers
  • Bags
  • Accessories
  • Music
  • Rihanna
  • Follow
    • INSTAGRAM
    • FACEBOOK
    • PINTEREST
    • TWITTER
    • YOUTUBE
Art August 25, 2021
By Snobette
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Share Tweet Pin Linkedln Email Reddit
Art

Tiffany’s Claims On Jean Michel Basquiat’s ‘Equals Pi’ Painting Aren’t Accurate

tiffany-beyonce-jay-basquiat
Courtesy of Tiffany, photographed by Mason Poole

August 25, 2021. Leave a Comment

As it turns out, Tiffany and Co.‘s claims about Jean-Michel Basquiat “Equals Pi” painting featured in its latest campaign featuring Beyoncé and Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter aren’t entirely true. In a press release the painting is described as “part of a private collection from its creation until now, this campaign marks the work-of-art’s first public appearance.”

Painted in 1982 at what’s viewed as the peak of Basquiat’s career, the painting hasn’t been displayed in an exhibit, but it’s been widely available to view by the public. According to Vanity Fair, while it’s unknown who purchased the painting first, it was put up for auction by Sotheby’s in 1990. It failed to find a buyer but was later sold in 1996 for approximately $253,000.

The article goes on to state, “Whether through that sale or another transaction, the painting came into the possession of Alberto and Stefania Sabbadini, the founders of the Sabbadini jewelry empire, based out of Milan.”

Their ownership in fact was documented in a 2018 W editorial showcasing the Sabbadini home with one of the images prominently featuring the now famed painting. As well, even prior to the article, the painting was shown through online sites tracking works of art.

As to the label vice president Alexandre Arnault‘s claim that the Basquiat’s “color is so specific that it has to be some kind of homage” to Tiffany,” Vanity Fair also noted that the artist, who died of a heroin overdoes six years after he painted “Equals Pi,” wasn’t documented as crossing paths with Tiffany until 1985 when he traveled with Tony Chow of Mr. Chow to Hong Kong to attend a Tiffany-hosted dinner. Commenting on the event, Chow stated, “I don’t think [Basquiat] liked my host very much. He was very rebellious, and so ordered the most expensive wine, you know, it was outrageous, this bottle of wine!”

The article also notes that LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault has stated he owns more than 12 of Basquiat’s paintings, installed in his homes in Paris and France, and sometimes loaned to exhibits at his Louis Vuitton Foundation building, a museum and cultural center in Paris.

Accessories Art Campaign Alexandre Arnault Bernard Arnault Beyoncé Jay-Z Jean-Michel Basquiat LVMH

What To Read Next

Read More
Home

Joya Studio Teams Up With Artist Shantell Martin On Two Candle Capsule

Brooklyn-based Joya Studio has partnered with multi-media artist Shantell Martin for a two-candle capsule meant to inspire creativity

Read More ...
by Samia Grand Pierre on January 23, 2023
SHARE
Read More
Collaboration

Melody Ehsani Partners With Artist Aya Brown On Capsule Honoring Black Women Creatives

Los Angeles-based designer Melody Ehsani has teamed up with Brooklyn-born artist Aya Brown on a heartfelt apparel capsule

Read More ...
by Snobette on November 24, 2022
SHARE
Read More
News

Uffizi Gallery Sues Jean-Paul Gaultier For Use Of Botticelli Image

Florence-based Uffizi Gallery has filed a suit against Puig-owned Jean Paul-Gaultier for its use of imagery taken from

Read More ...
by Snobette on October 18, 2022
SHARE
Two talents from the Bronx: @renellaice shoots Ic Two talents from the Bronx: @renellaice  shoots Ice Spice for The Cut!
Lizzo’s #Yitti brand celebrates Black History M Lizzo’s #Yitti brand celebrates  Black History Month with a capsule inspired by Afro-Futurism.

Designed by Yitty's vp of design Kara Lacayo and #Lizzo, the corset jacket (pictured) is the winner! $129.95 now on Yitty.com
Somalian-Norwegian model Ceval walks (Di)Vision ru Somalian-Norwegian model Ceval walks (Di)Vision runway for #CopenhagenFashionWeek. 

🎥 @marenschia
Nike and Tiffany follow up on accessories reveal ( Nike and Tiffany follow up on accessories reveal (scroll back) with a debut on foot 'fit courtesy of LeBron James. 

He's also wearing a one-off custom varsity jacket by Settlemier's Jackets. Tough!
Nike and Tiffany have revealed a selection of acce Nike and Tiffany have revealed a selection of accessories to accompany their Air Force 1 collaborative shoe. Items include a shoe horn, lace dubrae, toothbrush and whistle, ranging in price from $250-$475.

Priced at $400 for the shoe, Nike and Tiffany's AF1 (style code: DZ1382-001) drops on March 7th.
Scathing 5,400-word report via The Cut's Tahirah H Scathing 5,400-word report via The Cut's Tahirah Hairston on Kerby Jean-Raymond whose label Pyer Moss appears to no longer be operational. 

Check out an excerpt below. 

Ten years in, Jean-Raymond’s star has only risen. He hangs out with celebrities (Tracee Ellis Ross, Brent Faiyaz), made a cameo on Insecure, and drives flashy cars (a McLaren 720S, an Aston Martin Superleggera, a Porsche GT3 RS). Meanwhile, his brand is nearly nonexistent.

There is no Pyer Moss boutique. The clothing celebrated on the runway was mostly not available to anybody who didn’t have a celebrity stylist to pull it for them, and company insiders complained that quality control was so uneven that at times what was produced was too flawed to be sold. Jean-Raymond sometimes missed deadlines, didn’t always pay bills, started other projects, and alienated allies. He referred to Pyer Moss as an “art project” and seemed reluctant to make practical choices. Among the fashion insiders who had cheered his rise, there has been a growing feeling that he has wasted an opportunity to build something important.

The last straw for many of his early supporters was his couture show in July 2021. Titled “WAT U IZ,” and put on in the U.S. during Paris Couture Week, it was a tribute to the various innovations that Black people have been responsible for, often without credit. The models came down the runway decked out in a jar of peanut butter and a traffic light. A lot of it wasn’t really clothing, much less couture. Even if the professional critics and other members of the fashion press seemed hesitant to publicly express their disappointment, they whispered among each other that he’d lost the plot of his brand.
INSTAGRAMFACEBOOKPINTERESTTWITTERYOUTUBE
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Shop

Copyright © Snobette - Privacy Policy

Asset 1
Asset 1
Asset 1
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Fashion
  • Sneakers
  • Bags
  • Accessories
  • Music
  • Rihanna