Basquiat Bearbrick Types: The Numbered Editions Explained
Basquiat Bearbricks apply Jean-Michel Basquiat’s paintings directly to the figure — the crowns, the anatomical scrawl, the dense text and colour that made him one of the most significant artists of the 1980s. Medicom issues them as numbered editions rather than as a single design.
This covers what the numbering means, which releases exist, and how the Basquiat line differs from the Warhol collaborations it overlaps with.
What is a Basquiat Bearbrick?
A Medicom BE@RBRICK produced under licence with the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat, printed with one of his paintings. The figure is the standard nine-part form, so the artwork does all the work.
Basquiat died in 1988 at twenty-seven, and his paintings now sell at auction for tens of millions. A Bearbrick is one of the few ways to own an authorised object carrying that imagery at a few hundred dollars — which is the same logic behind the Warhol collaborations.
What do the numbers mean?
Each numbered release — #3, #4, #5, #9 — is a different painting, not a colour variant of the same one. Medicom has worked through the estate’s catalogue over successive releases.
That makes the line a genuine collecting sequence: acquiring #5 does not duplicate #9, and completing a run means tracking releases across years. Some numbers appear in both 1000% and 100% & 400% formats, some in only one.
What is the King Pleasure edition?
A release tied to King Pleasure, the Basquiat exhibition organised by his family and first shown in New York in 2022. It is the highest-priced Basquiat figure in our range at $542.40 for the 1000%.
Exhibition-tied releases are worth understanding as a category: they are bound to a specific event, which means they cannot be reissued in the same context. That certainty is part of what supports their price — the mechanism is explained in the investment guide.
Which Basquiat Bearbricks are available?
Seven distinct releases in our current range, spanning both sizes.
- King Pleasure 1000% — $542.40, and the 100% & 400% set at $126.40
- #9 1000% — $350.40, with the 100% & 400% set at $94.40
- Warhol × Basquiat #3 1000% — $250
- Warhol × Basquiat #4 400% — $100
- #5 100% & 400% — $88, the most accessible entry
Should you buy Basquiat or Warhol?
They are different propositions rather than competing ones, and the joint editions exist precisely because the two artists worked together.
Basquiat figures are visually denser — text, symbols and layered colour across the whole surface. Warhol releases tend toward flat blocks of colour and portraiture. If you want one figure that carries both, the numbered Warhol × Basquiat editions are the answer; they reference the roughly 150 canvases the two painted together in 1984–85.
Frequently asked questions
Are Basquiat Bearbricks officially licensed?
Yes — produced by Medicom Toy under licence with the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Every figure we sell is authentic.
What does the number on a Basquiat Bearbrick mean?
It identifies which release it is. Each number carries a different painting, not a variant of the same artwork.
How much is a Basquiat Bearbrick?
In our range, 100% & 400% sets start at $88 and 1000% figures run from $250 to $542.40.
What is the cheapest way into the Basquiat line?
The #5 100% & 400% set at $88, which gives you a 7cm and a 28cm figure in one box.
Are these a good investment?
Artist editions have historically held value better than licensed character releases, but edition size matters more than the name. Buy figures you want to display.
Browse Basquiat Bearbricks
We are an authorised Medicom dealer and ship from our UK warehouse, typically arriving in 2–7 business days, with 30-day returns.
See the full Basquiat Bearbrick collection and the related Andy Warhol figures, or browse 400% and 1000% sizes.