AI in Service of Basquiat Scholarship
We use Artificial Intelligence as a precision research instrument—a tool that enhances our work but never replaces human connoisseurship. AI increases speed, accuracy, and consistency, while all final determinations remain the responsibility of experienced Basquiat specialists.
Where AI Strengthens Basquiat Research
We use AI only in areas where it offers objective, measurable advantages, dramatically reducing research time.
- Locating and Organizing Data
- Quantitative Measurement and Market Metrics
We never rely on artificial intelligence for:
- Determine authenticity
- Evaluate Basquiat’s stylistic, material, or expressive qualities
- Render aesthetic or probability-based opinions
- Interpret symbolism, meaning, or artistic intent
- Substitute for scholarly expertise
Electronic systems cannot understand Basquiat’s gesture, cultural context, studio practices, or improvisational vocabulary. When pushed beyond factual data, AI generates assumptions—something we never allow in an authentication process.
Why Human Expertise Is Irreplaceable
Most of the essential Basquiat record exists outside digital ecosystems:
- Museum and foundation archives
- Private dealer records
- Gallery correspondence
- Historical exhibition materials
- Handwritten notes, condition reports, and analog documentation
Therefore, our experts continue to perform the hands-on research that no machine can replicate, including:
- Provenance reconstruction
- Stylistic and period analysis
- Material and technique examination
- Physical condition evaluation
- Verification of historical and documentary evidence
These tasks require deep familiarity with Basquiat’s practice, his materials, and the broader cultural and historical environment in which he worked.