This limited edition, 2022 leather basketball features Kehinde Wiley's 2008 painting Morpheus, reimagined from the Jean-Antoine Houdon 1777 marble sculpture of the same name. Featured in the 2008 exhibition Down at Deitch Projects, the series references and re-conceptualizes classic pictorial forms of heroism in the face of death. Morpheus features a model from Brooklyn, lain across a white sheet while florals from the background spring into life around his body. Unlike its 18th century counterpart, he addresses onlookers with direct eye contact and a seductive look of invitation, with the repeating floral background protruding into the foreground. The basketball ships deflated and a pump is required. Heavy lucite basketball stand with beveled edges and engraved with Kehinde Wiley's signature. The premium leather basketball comes in a monogrammed cotton dust bag. Regulation size.

Net proceeds from your purchase support the artist in residence program Black Rock Sénégal, founded by Wiley in 2019.