Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and a never-before-seen Basquiat painting star in Tiffany campaign

A never-before-seen Jean-Michel Basquiat painting has emerged, and is the centerpiece in Tiffany & Co.'s latest ad campaign.
The 1982 painting titled "Equals Pi" was in the hands of a private collector and hadn't been shown publicly until Tiffany purchased the art and unveiled it in its new "About Love" campaign, featuring Beyoncé and Jay-Z. The painting is Tiffany-blue, and while there is no proof it was created with the jeweler in mind, Alexandre Arnault, Tiffany's executive vice president of products and communications, told WWD he doesn't think it's a coincidence. "The color is so specific that it has to be some kind of homage," he said. But the emergence of an unseen piece of work by the deceased artist and its use in an ad alongside billionaires to sell high-end jewelry has social media in a tizzy, due to Basquiat's perceived anti-capitalism stance.
Also center stage in the video and print campaign is the famous 128.54 carat Tiffany diamond, discovered in South Africa in 1877 and worn only by Mary Whitehouse, Audrey Hepburn, Lady Gaga, and now, the first Black woman to don it, Beyoncé.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The video, which features Beyoncé singing "Moon River" in homage to Breakfast at Tiffany's, debuts Sept. 15. The Basquiat painting will be on display at Tiffany's flagship location in New York City. Read more at WWD.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Taylor Watson is audience engagement editor for TheWeek.com and a former editorial assistant. She graduated from Syracuse University, with a major in magazine journalism and minors in food studies and nutrition. Taylor has previously written for Runner's World, Vice, and more.
-
Will online age checks doom internet freedom?
Today's Big Question Or do they protect children from harm?
-
At least 800 dead in Afghanistan earthquake
speed read A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan
-
Trump crypto token launch earns family billions
Speed Read The World Liberty Financial token is now the Trump family's 'most valuable asset'
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play