The “Untitled” 1982 piece sold for a mind-blowing $110.5 million at Sotheby’s. This is the highest price ever paid for the work of an American artist made after 1980. Jean-Michel Basquiat was born in Brooklyn to a Puerto Rican mother and a Haitian father. He rose to fame doing street graffiti/art in New York City with a group of friends. His paintings were very popular during his life but have become even more sought after since his death in the summer of 1988 after overdosing on heroin.