Jay Z turned 53 year old earlier this month, and Media take Out learned that his superstar wife Beyonce may have bought him one o the best presents that money could buy.
Media take Out spoke with a prominent art collector who told us that Beyonce is believed to have purchased a $35 million painting by Jean Michel Basquiat for her hubby.
Works by Basquiat are the most sought after paintings in the world – with some going for more that $100 million. Basquiat also happens to be Jay Z’s favorite artist, Media Take Out confirmed.
According to our art insider, an anonymous bidder purchased a Basquiat painting last month at an auction at Christies. The painting, which was entitled Sugar Ray Robinson was the most expensive piece sold at Christie’s 20th and 21st Century Evening Sales on November 16th. The anonymous bidder paid $32M plus about $3M in fees.
And according to our tipster, Beyonce is believed to have been the secret buyer. The insider told Media Take Out, “No one knows exactly who the buyer was, but the word is that Beyonce bought it for Jay Z for his birthday.”
Here’s the $35 million painting, which stands about 5 feet tall:
One of the world’s best-selling music artists, with over 140 million records sold, Jay-Z has won 24 Grammy Awards, the joint-most Grammy awards of any rapper along with Kanye West. Jay-Z also holds the record for the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200 (14).
Additionally, he is a recipient of the NAACP’s President’s Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Sports Emmy Award; and has also received a nomination for a Tony Award. Ranked by Billboard and Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, Jay-Z was the first rapper honored in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the first solo living rapper inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2013, Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Beyonce is one of the world’s best-selling recording artists, having sold over 200 million records worldwide.[ Her success during the 2000s was recognized with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)’s Top Certified Artist of the Decade as well as Billboard’s Top Female Artist of the Decade.
She is the first solo artist to have their first seven studio albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200. Beyoncé’s accolades include 28 Grammy Awards, 26 MTV Video Music Awards (including the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in 2014), 24 NAACP Image Awards, 31 BET Awards, and 17 Soul Train Music Awards; all of which are more than any other singer. In 2014, Billboard named her the highest-earning black musician of all time, while in 2020, she was included on Time’s list of 100 women who defined the last century.
