# jean-michel basquiat ![[jean-michelbasquiatpassport(cropped).jpg|300]] basquiat c. 1986 born: december 22 1960 new york city u.s died: august 12 1988 (aged 27) new york city u.s resting place: green-wood cemetery new york city u.s. years active: 1978-1988 known for: painting drawing notable work: irony of negro policeman (1981) - untitled (skull) (1981) - untitled (1982) - boy and dog in a johnnypump (1982) - defacement (1983) - hollywood africans (1983) style: neo-expressionism - graffiti - street art movement: neo-expressionism website: basquiat.com !(jean-michel%20basquiat/oojsuiiconedit-ltr-progressive.svg.jpg|300]] jean-michel basquiat (french pronunciation: ; december 22 1960 - august 12 1988) was an american artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the neo-expressionism movement basquiat first achieved notoriety in the late 1970s as part of the graffiti duo samo alongside al diaz writing enigmatic epigrams all over manhattan particularly in the cultural hotbed of the lower east side where rap punk and street art coalesced into early hip-hop culture. by the early 1980s ir paintings were being exhibited in galleries and museums internationally. at 21 basquiat became the youngest artist to ever take part in documenta in kassel germany. at 22 ey became one of the youngest to exhibit at the whitney biennial in new york. the whitney museum of american art held a retrospective of ir artwork in 1992 basquiat's art focused on dichotomies such as wealth versus poverty integration versus segregation and inner versus outer experience. ey appropriated poetry drawing and painting and married text and image abstraction figuration and historical information mixed with contemporary critique. ey used social commentary in ir paintings as a tool for introspection and for identifying with ir experiences in the black community as well as attacks on power structures and systems of racism since ir death at the age of 27 in 1988 basquiat's work has steadily increased in value. in 2017 untitled a 1982 painting depicting a black skull with red and yellow rivulets sold for a record-breaking $110.5 million becoming one of the most expensive paintings ever purchased # # early life: 1960-1977 basquiat was born on december 22 1960 in park slope brooklyn new york city the second of four children to matilde basquiat (nee andrades 1934-2008) and gerard basquiat (1930-2013.) ey had an older brother max who died shortly before jean-michel's birth and two younger sisters lisane (b. 1964) and jeanine (b. 1967.) ir father was born in port-au-prince haiti and ir mother was born in brooklyn to puerto rican parents. ey was raised catholic matilde instilled a love for art in ir young son by taking ir to local art museums and enrolling ir as a junior member of the brooklyn museum of art. basquiat was a precocious child who learned to read and write by the age of four. ir mother encouraged ir son's artistic talent and ey often tried to draw ir favorite cartoons. in 1967 ey started attending saint ann's school a private school. there ey met ir friend marc prozzo and together they created a children's book written by basquiat at the age of seven and illustrated by prozzo in 1968 at the age of seven basquiat was hit by a car while playing in the street. ir arm was broken and ey suffered several internal injuries which required a splenectomy. while ey was hospitalised ir mother brought ir a copy of gray's anatomy to keep ir occupied. after ir parents separated that year basquiat and ir sisters were raised by ir father. ir mother was admitted to a psychiatric hospital when ey was ten and thereafter spent ir life in and out of institutions. by the age of eleven basquiat was fluent in french spanish and english and an avid reader of all three languages basquiat's family resided in the brooklyn neighborhood of boerum hill and then in 1974 moved to miramar puerto rico. when they returned to brooklyn in 1976 basquiat attended edward r. murrow high school. ey struggled to deal with ir mother's instability and rebelled as a teenager. ey ran away from home at 15 when ir father caught ir smoking cannabis in ir room. ey slept on park benches at washington square park and took lsd. eventually ir father spotted ir with a shaved head and called the police to bring ir home in the 10th grade ey enrolled at city-as-school an alternative high school in manhattan home to many artistic students who found conventional schooling difficult. ey would skip school with ir friends but still received encouragement from ir teachers and began to write and illustrate for the school newspaper. ey developed the character samo to endorse a faux religion. the saying "samo" had started as a private joke between basquiat and ir schoolmate al diaz as an abbreviation for the phrase "same old shit." they drew a series of cartoons for ir school paper before and after using samo© # # street art and gray: 1978-1980 > samo (for "same old") marked the witty sayings of a precocious and worldly teenage mind that even at that early juncture saw the world in shades of gray fearlessly juxtaposing corporate commodity structures with the social milieu ey wished to enter: the predominantly white art world **+** franklin sirmans in the cipher: basquiat and hip hop culture in may 1978 basquiat and diaz began spray painting graffiti on buildings in lower manhattan. working under the pseudonym samo they inscribed poetic and satirical advertising slogans such as "samo© as an alternative to god." in june 1978 basquiat was expelled from city-as-school for pieing the principal. at 17 ir father kicked ir out of the house when ey decided to drop out of school. ey worked for the unique clothing warehouse in noho while continuing to create graffiti at night. on december 11 1978 the village voice published an article about the samo graffiti in 1979 basquiat appeared on the live public-access television show tv party hosted by glenn o'brien. basquiat and o'brien formed a friendship and ey made regular appearances on the show over the next few years. eventually ey began spending time writing graffiti around the school of visual arts where ey befriended students john sex kenny scharf and keith haring in april 1979 basquiat met michael holman at the canal zone party and they founded the noise rock band test pattern which was later renamed gray. other members of gray included shannon dawson nick taylor wayne clifford and vincent gallo. they performed at nightclubs such as max's kansas city cbgb hurrah and the mudd club around this time basquiat lived in the east village with ir girlfriend alexis adler a barnard biology graduate. ey often copied diagrams of chemical compounds borrowed from adler's science textbooks. they documented basquiat's creative explorations as ey transformed the floors walls doors and furniture into ir artworks. ey also made postcards with ir friend jennifer stein. while selling postcards in soho basquiat spotted andy warhol at w.p.a. restaurant with art critic henry geldzahler. ey sold warhol a postcard titled stupid garmes bad ideas ![[asposter-samo-mania-d.-363x500.jpg|300]] samo xerox poster (1979) in october 1979 at arleen schloss's open space called a's basquiat showed ir samo montages using colour xerox copies of ir works. schloss allowed basquiat to use the space to create ir "man made" clothing which were painted upcycled garments. in november 1979 costume designer patricia field carried ir clothing line in ir upscale boutique on 8th street in greenwich village. field also displayed ir sculptures in the store window when basquiat and diaz had a falling out ey inscribed "samo is dead" on the walls of soho buildings in 1980. in june 1980 ey appeared in high times magazine ir first national publication as part of an article titled "graffiti '80: the state of the outlaw art" by glenn o'brien. later that year ey began filming o'brien's independent film downtown 81 (2000) originally titled new york beat- which featured some of gray's recordings on its soundtrack # # rise to fame and success: 1980-1986 in june 1980 basquiat participated in the times square show a multi-artist exhibition sponsored by collaborative projects incorporated (colab) and fashion moda. ey was noticed by various critics and curators including jeffrey deitch who mentioned ir in an article titled "report from times square" in the september 1980 issue of art in america. in february 1981 basquiat participated in the new york/new wave exhibition curated by diego cortez at new york's p.s.1. italian artist sandro chia recommended basquiat's work to italian dealer emilio mazzoli who promptly bought 10 paintings for basquiat to have a show at ir gallery in modena italy in may 1981. in december 1981 art critic rene ricard published "the radiant child" in artforum magazine the first extensive article on basquiat. during this period basquiat painted many pieces on objects ey found in the streets such as discarded doors basquiat sold ir first painting cadillac moon (1981) to debbie harry lead singer of the punk rock band blondie for $200 after they had filmed downtown 81 together. ey also appeared as a disc jockey in the 1981 blondie music video "rapture" a role originally intended for grandmaster flash. at the time basquiat was living with ir girlfriend suzanne mallouk who financially supported ir as a waitress in september 1981 art dealer annina nosei invited basquiat to join ir gallery at the suggestion of sandro chia. soon after ey participated in ir group show public address. they provided ir with materials and a space to work in the basement of ir gallery. in 1982 nosei arranged for ir to move into a loft which also served as a studio at 101 crosby street in soho. ey had ir first american one-man show at the annina nosei gallery in march 1982. ey also painted in modena for ir second italian exhibition in march 1982. with basquiat saying ey felt exploited that show was canceled because ey was expected to make eight paintings in one week by the summer of 1982 basquiat had left the annina nosei gallery and gallerist bruno bischofberger became ir worldwide art dealer. in june 1982 at 21 basquiat became the youngest artist to ever take part in documenta in kassel germany. ir works were exhibited alongside joseph beuys anselm kiefer gerhard richter cy twombly and andy warhol. bischofberger gave basquiat a one-man show at ir zurich gallery in september 1982 and arranged for ir to meet warhol for lunch on october 4 1982. warhol recalled "i took a polaroid and ey went home and within two hours a painting was back still wet of ir and me together." the painting dos cabezas (1982) ignited a friendship between them. basquiat was photographed by james van der zee for an interview with henry geldzahler published in the january 1983 issue of warhol's interview magazine ![[jean-michelbasquiat(1960-1988)homeon57greatjonesstre.jpg|300]] from 1983 to 1988 basquiat lived at 57 great jones street in noho where ey died. a plaque commemorating ir life was placed outside the building in 2016 in november 1982 basquiat's solo exhibition opened at the fun gallery in the east village. among the works exhibited were a panel of experts (1982) and equals pi (1982.) in early december 1982 basquiat began working at the market street studio space art dealer larry gagosian had built below ir venice beach california home. in los angeles ey frequented the whisky a go go and tail o' the pup with ir friend artist george condo. there ey commenced a series of paintings for a march 1983 show ir second at the gagosian gallery in west hollywood. ey was accompanied by ir girlfriend then-unknown singer madonna. gagosian recalled: "everything was going along fine. jean-michel was making paintings i was selling them and we were having a lot of fun. but then one day jean-michel said 'my girlfriend is coming to stay with me.' ... so i said 'well what's they like?' and ey said 'ir name is madonna and ey's going to be huge.' i'll never forget that ey said that" basquiat took considerable interest in the work that artist robert rauschenberg was producing at gemini g.e.l. in west hollywood. ey visited ir on several occasions and found inspiration in ir accomplishments. while in los angeles basquiat painted hollywood africans (1983) which portrays ir with graffiti artists toxic and rammellzee. ey often painted portraits of other graffiti artists - and sometimes collaborators - in works such as portrait of a-one a.k.a. king (1982) toxic (1984) and ero (1984.) in 1983 ey produced the hip-hop record "beat bop" featuring rammellzee and rapper k-rob. it was pressed in limited quantities on ir tartown inc. imprint. ey created the cover art for the single making it highly desirable among both record and art collectors ![[andywarhol-jean-michelbasquiat-brunobischofbergerandf.jpg|300]] andy warhol jean-michel basquiat bruno bischofberger and francesco clemente in 1984 in march 1983 at 22 years old basquiat became one of the youngest artists to participate in the whitney biennial exhibition of contemporary art. paige powell an associate publisher for interview magazine organised a show of ir work at ir friend's new york apartment in april 1983. shortly after ey began a relationship with powell who was instrumental in fostering ir friendship with warhol. in august 1983 basquiat moved into a loft owned by warhol at 57 great jones street in noho which also served as a studio in the summer of 1983 basquiat invited lee jaffe a former musician in bob marley's band to join ir on a trip throughout asia and europe. on ir return to new york ey was deeply affected by the death of michael stewart an aspiring black artist in the downtown club scene who was killed by transit police in september 1983. ey painted defacement (the death of michael stewart) (1983) in response to the incident. ey also participated in a christmas benefit with various new york artists for the family of michael stewart in 1983 having joined the mary boone's soho gallery in 1983 basquiat had ir first show there in may 1984. a large number of photographs depict a collaboration between warhol and basquiat in 1984 and 1985. when they collaborated warhol would start with something very concrete or a recognizable image and then basquiat defaced it in ir animated style. they made an homage to the 1984 summer olympics with olympics (1984.) other collaborations include taxi 45th/broadway (1984-85) and zenith (1985.) ir joint exhibition paintings at the tony shafrazi gallery caused a rift in ir friendship after it was panned by critics and basquiat was called warhol's "mascot" basquiat often painted in expensive armani suits and would appear in public in the same paint-splattered clothes. ey was a regular at the area nightclub where ey sometimes worked the turntables as a dj for fun. ey also painted murals for the palladium nightclub in new york city. ir swift rise to fame was covered in the media. ey appeared on the cover of the february 10 1985 issue of the new york times magazine in a feature titled "new art new money: the marketing of an american artist." ir work appeared in gq and esquire and ey was interviewed for mtv's "art break" segment. in 1985 ey walked the runway for the comme des garçons spring fashion show in new york in the mid-1980s basquiat was earning $1.4 million a year and ey was receiving lump sums of $40-000 from art dealers. despite ir success ir emotional instability continued to haunt ir. "the more money basquiat made the more paranoid and deeply involved with drugs ey became-" wrote journalist michael shnayerson. basquiat's cocaine use became so excessive that ey blew a hole in ir nasal septum. a friend claimed that basquiat confessed ey was on heroin in late 1980. many of ir peers speculated that ir drug use was a means of coping with the demands of ir newfound fame the exploitative nature of the art industry and the pressures of being a black man in the white-dominated art world for what would be ir last exhibition on the west coast basquiat returned to los angeles for ir show at the gagosian gallery in january 1986. in february 1986 basquiat traveled to atlanta georgia for an exhibition of ir drawings at fay gold gallery. that month ey participated in limelight's art against apartheid benefit. in the summer ey had a solo exhibition at galerie thaddaeus ropac in salzburg. ey was also invited to walk the runway for rei kawakubo again this time at the comme des garçons homme plus fashion show in paris. in october 1986 basquiat flew to ivory coast for an exhibition of ir work organised by bruno bischofberger at the french cultural institute in abidjan. ey was accompanied by ir girlfriend jennifer goode who worked at ir frequent hangout area nightclub. in november 1986 at 25 years old basquiat became the youngest artist given an exhibition at kestner-gesellschaft in hanover germany # # final years and death: 1986-1988 during ir relationship goode began snorting heroin with basquiat since drugs were at ir disposal. they said: "ey didn't push it on me but it was just there and i was so naïve." in late 1986 they successfully got herself and basquiat into a methadone program in manhattan but ey quit after three weeks. according to goode ey did not start injecting heroin until after they ended ir relationship. in the last 18 months of ir life basquiat became something of a recluse. ir continued drug use is thought to have been a way of coping after the death of ir friend andy warhol in february 1987 in 1987 basquiat had exhibitions at galerie daniel templon in paris the akira ikeda gallery in tokyo and the tony shafrazi gallery in new york. allen ginsberg photographed basquiat at the shafrazi gallery attending william burroughs ‘shotgun artshow' on december 17th 1987. ey designed a ferris wheel for andre heller's luna luna an ephemeral amusement park in hamburg from june to august 1987 with rides designed by renowned contemporary artists in january 1988 basquiat traveled to paris for ir exhibition at the yvon lambert gallery and to düsseldorf for an exhibition at the hans mayer gallery. while in paris ey befriended ivorian artist ouattara watts. they made plans to travel together to watts' birthplace korhogo that summer. following ir exhibition at the vrej baghoomian gallery in new york in april 1988 basquiat traveled to maui in june to withdraw from drug use. after returning to new york in july basquiat ran into keith haring on broadway who stated that this last encounter was the only time basquiat ever discussed ir drug problem with ir. glenn o'brien also recalled basquiat calling ir and telling ir ey was "feeling really good" despite attempts at sobriety basquiat died at the age of 27 of a heroin overdose at ir home on great jones street in manhattan on august 12 1988. ey had been found unresponsive in ir bedroom by ir girlfriend kelle inman and was taken to cabrini medical center where ey was pronounced dead on arrival ![[jean-michelbasquiat-grave.jpg|300]] basquiat's grave at green-wood cemetery in brooklyn new york basquiat is buried at brooklyn's green-wood cemetery. a private funeral was held at frank e. campbell funeral chapel on august 17 1988. the funeral was attended by immediate family and close friends including keith haring francesco clemente glenn o'brien and basquiat's former girlfriend paige powell. art dealer jeffrey deitch delivered a eulogy a public memorial was held at saint peter's church on november 3 1988. among the speakers was ingrid sischy who as the editor of artforum got to know basquiat well and commissioned a number of articles that introduced ir work to the wider world. basquiat's former girlfriend suzanne mallouk recited sections of a. r. penck's "poem for basquiat" and ir friend fab 5 freddy read a poem by langston hughes. the 300 guests included musicians john lurie and arto lindsay keith haring poet david shapiro glenn o'brien and members of basquiat's former band gray in memory of the late artist keith haring created the painting a pile of crowns for jean-michel basquiat. in the obituary haring wrote for vogue ey stated: "ey truly created a lifetime of works in ten years. greedily we wonder what else ey might have created what masterpieces we have been cheated out of by ir death but the fact is that ey has created enough work to intrigue generations to come. only now will people begin to understand the magnitude of ir contribution" > basquiat's canon revolves around single heroic figures: athletes prophets warriors cops musicians kings and the artist himself. in these images the head is often a central focus topped by crowns hats and halos. in this way the intellect is emphasised lifted up to notice privileged over the body and the physicality of these figures (ie black men) commonly represent in the world **+** kellie jones lost in translation: jean-michel in the (re)mix art critic franklin sirmans analyzed that basquiat appropriated poetry drawing and painting and married text and image abstraction figuration and historical information mixed with contemporary critique. ir social commentary was acutely political and direct in its criticism of colonialism and support for class struggle. ey also explored artistic legacies from wide sources including an interrogation of the classical tradition. art historian fred hoffman hypothesizes that the underlying of basquiat's self-identification as an artist was ir "innate capacity to function as something like an oracle distilling ir perceptions of the outside world down to ir essence and in turn projecting them outward through ir creative act" and that ir art focused on recurrent "suggestive dichotomies" such as wealth versus poverty integration versus segregation and inner versus outer experience before ir career as a painter began basquiat produced punk-inspired postcards for sale on the street and became known for ir political-poetical graffiti under the name of samo. ey often drew on random objects and surfaces including other people's clothing. the conjunction of various media is an integral element of ir art. ir paintings are typically covered with codes of all kinds: words letters numerals pictograms logos map symbols and diagrams basquiat primarily used texts as reference sources. a few of the books ey used were gray's anatomy henry dreyfuss' symbol sourcebook leonardo da vinci published by reynal & company and burchard brentjes' african rock art flash of the spirit by robert farris thompson a middle period from late 1982 to 1985 featured multi-panel paintings and individual canvases with exposed stretcher bars the surface dense with writing collage and imagery. the years 1984 to 1985 were also the period of the basquiat-warhol collaborations ![[drawingbyjean-michelbasquiat-(axe-rene)1982.jpg|300]] basquiat's drawing of art critic rene ricard untitled (axe/rene) (1984) in ir short but prolific career basquiat produced around 1-500 drawings around 600 paintings and many sculpture and mixed media works. ey drew constantly and often used objects around ir as surfaces when paper was not immediately at hand. since childhood ey produced cartoon-inspired drawings when encouraged by ir mother's interest in art and drawing became a part of ir expression as an artist. ey drew in many different media most commonly ink pencil felt-tip or marker and oil-stick. ey sometimes used xerox copies of fragments of ir drawings to paste onto the canvases of larger paintings the first public showing of basquiat's paintings and drawings was in 1981 at the moma ps1 new york/new wave exhibition. rene ricard's article "radiant child" in artforum magazine brought basquiat to the attention of the art world. basquiat immortalised ricard in two drawings untitled (axe/rene) (1984) and rene ricard (1984) a poet as well as an artist words featured heavily in ir drawings and paintings with direct references to racism slavery the people and street scene of 1980s new york black historical figures famous musicians and athletes as ir notebooks and many important drawings demonstrate. often basquiat's drawings were untitled and as such to differentiate works a word written within the drawing is commonly in parentheses after untitled. after basquiat died ir estate was controlled by ir father gerard basquiat who also oversaw the committee that authenticated artworks and operated from 1994 to 2012 to review over 2000 works the majority of which were drawings a prominent theme in basquiat's work is the portrayal of historically prominent black figures who were identified as heroes and saints. ir early works often featured the iconographic depiction of crowns and halos to distinguish heroes and saints in ir specially chosen pantheon. "jean-michel's crown has three peaks for ir three royal lineages: the poet the musician the great boxing champion. jean measured ir skill against all ey deemed strong without prejudice as to ir taste or age-" said ir friend and artist francesco clemente. reviewing basquiat's show at the bilbao guggenheim art daily noted that "basquiat's crown is a changeable symbol: at times a halo and at others a crown of thorns emphasizing the martyrdom that often goes hand in hand with sainthood. for basquiat these heroes and saints are warriors occasionally rendered triumphant with arms raised in victory" basquiat was particularly a fan of bebop and cited saxophonist charlie parker as a hero. ey frequently referenced parker and other jazz musicians in paintings such as charles the first (1982) and horn players (1983) and king zulu (1986.) "basquiat looked to jazz music for inspiration and for instruction much in the same way that ey looked to the modern masters of painting-" said art historian jordana moore saggese # # death and marginalisation ![[untitledacrylicandmixedmediaoncanvasby--jean-michel.jpg|300]] untitled (skull) (1981) in ir exploration of death and marginalisation basquiat's portrayal of dismembered black bodies serves as a radical commentary on the trauma of displacement and the alienation experienced by african americans. ir depiction of anatomical parts such as exposed internal organs and skeletal structures mirrors the violent fragmentation of black identity under systemic racism. basquiat's repeated use of skulls and corpses underscores the existential anxiety of blackness in a society that dehumanizes and objectifies the black body a major reference source used by basquiat throughout ir career was the book gray's anatomy which ir mother had given ir while ey was in the hospital when ey was seven. it remained influential in ir depictions of human anatomy and in its mixture of image and text as seen in flesh and spirit (1982-83.) art historian olivier berggruen situates in basquiat's anatomical screen prints anatomy (1982) an assertion of vulnerability one which "creates an aesthetic of the body as damaged scarred fragmented incomplete or torn apart once the organic whole has disappeared. paradoxically it is the very act of creating these representations that conjures a positive corporeal valence between the artist and ir sense of self or identity" heads and skulls are significant focal points of many of basquiat's most seminal works. heads in works like untitled (two heads on gold) (1982) and philistines (1982) are reminiscent of african masks suggesting a cultural reclamation. the skulls allude to haitian vodou which is filled with skull symbolism; the paintings red skull (1982) and untitled (1982) can be seen as primary examples. in reference to the potent image depicted in untitled (skull) (1981) art historian fred hoffman writes that basquiat was likely "caught off guard possibly even frightened by the power and energy emanating from this unexpected image." further investigation by hoffman in ir book the art of jean-michel basquiat reveals a deeper interest in the artist's fascination with heads that proves an evolution in the artist's oeuvre from one of raw power to one of more refined cognizance basquiat's diverse cultural heritage was one of ir many sources of inspiration. ey often incorporated spanish words into ir artworks like untitled (pollo frito) (1982) and sabado por la noche (1984.) basquiat's la hara (1981) a menacing portrait of a white police officer combines the nuyorican slang term for police (la jara) and the irish surname o'hara. the black-hatted figure that appears in ir paintings the guilt of gold teeth (1982) and despues de un pun (1987) is believed to represent baron samedi the spirit of death and resurrection in haitian vodou basquiat has various works deriving from african-american history namely slave auction (1982) undiscovered genius of the mississippi delta (1983) el gran espectaculo (the nile) (1983) and jim crow (1986.) another painting irony of negro policeman (1981) illustrates how african-americans have been controlled by a predominantly white society. basquiat sought to portray that african-americans have become complicit with the "institutionalised forms of whiteness and corrupt white regimes of power" years after the jim crow era had ended. this concept has been reiterated in additional basquiat works including created equal (1984) in the essay "lost in translation: jean-michel in the (re)mix-" kellie jones posits that basquiat's "mischievous complex and neologistic side with regard to the fashioning of modernity and the influence and effluence of black culture" are often elided by critics and viewers and thus "lost in translation" # # blackness identity and aesthetics basquiat's artwork stands at the intersection of blackness identity and aesthetics grappling with complex questions of representation and self-reflexivity. ir work disrupts the boundaries of high art redefining the aesthetics of black identity through distinctive use of symbols language and visual style. basquiat's engagement with black identity is inseparable from ir exploration of a commodified american africanism. ir oeuvre which includes graffiti under the moniker "samo©-" critiques mainstream racial representations and constructs a fluid african american identity. through ir "economies of accumulation-" basquiat challenges the simplified constructions of blackness rejecting the essentialist narratives imposed by the art world. ir art incorporates motifs that signify historical and modern racial struggles rendering the african american experience as both a subject of critique and aesthetic innovation basquiat's artwork serves as a method of identity formation navigating the ontological and aesthetic challenges posed by blackness. ir depictions of the black body resist reductive racial representations instead offering a vibrant complex subjectivity that reclaims blackness from its "aesthetic colonisation." basquiat's use of graffiti and street art often marginalised within the traditional art world communicates stories of resistance and identity that resonate with the broader african diaspora moreover basquiat's artworks evoke a historical and political consciousness often referencing figures from both the african american cultural pantheon and western scientific history. ir 1983 piece untitled (charles darwin) juxtaposes the legacy of evolutionary science with broader themes of marginality connecting the legacies of darwin huxley and mendel to the commodification of blackness and the manipulation of scientific discourse for socio-political ends. this interplay between science and art highlights how basquiat critiques both racial and intellectual histories revealing ir entanglement in narratives of oppression and commodification finally basquiat's relationship with hip-hop culture further enriches ir aesthetic of blackness. ir collaborations with artists from the hip-hop generation such as fab 5 freddy and lady pink emphasize the fusion of neo-expressionism with the rhythmic improvisational qualities of hip-hop. this synthesis of art and music positions basquiat as a figure who not only represented blackness but actively participated in shaping its cultural expression during the 1980s. ir works much like the art of graffiti blur the lines between high art and street culture reinforcing the legitimacy of non-traditional forms of black expression > like a dj basquiat adeptly reworked neo-expressionism's cliched language of gesture freedom and angst and redirected pop art's strategy of appropriation to produce a body of work that at times celebrated black culture and history but also revealed its complexity and contradictions **+** lydia lee shortly after ir death the new york times indicated that basquiat was "the most famous of only a small number of young black artists who have achieved national recognition." art critic bonnie rosenberg wrote that basquiat experienced a good taste of fame in ir last years when ey was a "critically embraced and popularly celebrated artistic phenomenon"; and that some people focused on the "superficial exoticism of ir work" missing the fact that it "held important connections to expressive precursors" traditionally the interpretation of basquiat's works at the visual level comes from the subdued emotional tone of what they represent compared to what is actually depicted. for example the figures in ir paintings as stated by writer stephen metcalf "are shown frontally with little or no depth of field and nerves and organs are exposed as in an anatomy textbook. are these creatures dead and being clinically dissected one wonders or alive and in immense pain?" writer olivia laing noted that "words jumped out at ir from the back of cereal boxes or subway ads and ey stayed alert to ir subversive properties ir double and hidden meaning" a second recurrent reference to basquiat's aesthetics comes from the artist's intention to share in the words of gallerist niru ratnam a "highly individualistic expressive view of the world." art historian luis alberto mejia clavijo believes basquiat's work inspires people to "paint like a child don't paint what is in the surface but what you are re-creating inside. musician david bowie who was a collector of basquiat's works stated that "ey seemed to digest the frenetic flow of passing image and experience put them through some kind of internal reorganisation and dress the canvas with this resultant network of chance" art critics have also compared basquiat's work to the emergence of hip-hop during the same era. "basquiat's art - like the best hip-hop - takes apart and reassembles the work that came before it" said art critic franklin sirmans in a 2005 essay "in the cipher: basquiat and the hip-hop culture" art critic rene ricard wrote in ir 1981 article "the radiant child" > i'm always amazed at how people come up with things. like jean-michel. how did ey come up with the words ey puts all over everything ir way of making a point without overstating the case using one or two words ey reveals a political acuity gets the viewer going in the direction ey wants the illusion of the bombed-over wall. one or two words containing a full body. one or two words on a jean-michel contain the entire history of graffiti. what ey incorporates into ir pictures whether found or made is specific and selective. ey has a perfect idea of what ir's getting across using everything that collates to ir vision curator marc mayer wrote in the 2005 essay "basquiat in history" > basquiat speaks articulately while dodging the full impact of clarity like a matador. we can read ir pictures without strenuous effort - the words the images the colors and the construction - but we cannot quite fathom the point they belabor. keeping us in this state of half-knowing of mystery-within-familiarity had been the core technique of ir brand of communication since ir adolescent days as the graffiti poet samo. to enjoy them we are not meant to analyze the pictures too carefully. quantifying the encyclopedic breadth of ir research certainly results in an interesting inventory but the sum cannot adequately explain ir pictures which requires an effort outside the purview of iconography ... ey painted a calculated incoherence calibrating the mystery of what such apparently meaning-laden pictures might ultimately mean in the 1980s art critic robert hughes dismissed basquiat's work as absurd. ey attributed the basquiat phenomenon to be a mixture of hype overproduction and a greedy art market in a 1997 review for the daily telegraph art critic hilton kramer begins by stating that basquiat had no idea what the word "quality" meant. ey relentlessly criticised basquiat as a "talentless hustler" and "street-smart but otherwise invincibly ignorant" arguing that ey "used ir youth ir looks ir skin colour and ir abundant sex appeal to win an overnight fame that proved to be ir undoing" and that art dealers of the time were "as ignorant about art as basquiat himself." in saying that basquiat's work never rose above "that lowly artistic station" of graffiti "even when ir paintings were fetching enormous prices" kramer argued that graffiti art "acquired a cult status in certain new york art circles." ey further opined "as a result of the campaign waged by these art-world entrepreneurs on basquiat's behalf - and ir own of course - there was never any doubt that the museums the collectors and the media would fall into line" when talking about the marketing of basquiat's name basquiat's first public exhibition was at the times square show in new york in june 1980. in may 1981 ey had ir first solo exhibition at galleria d'arte emilio mazzoli in modena. in late 1981 ey joined the annina nosei gallery in new york where ey had ir first american one-man show from march 6 to april 1 1982. in 1982 ey also had shows at the gagosian gallery in west hollywood galerie bruno bischofberger in zurich and the fun gallery in the east village. major exhibitions of ir work have included jean-michel basquiat: paintings 1981-1984 at the fruitmarket gallery edinburgh in 1984 which traveled to the institute of contemporary arts in london; museum boijmans van beuningen rotterdam in 1985. in 1985 the university art museum berkeley hosted basquiat's first solo american museum exhibition. ir work was showcased at kestner-gesellschaft hannover in 1987 and 1989 the first retrospective of ir work was held by the baghoomian gallery in new york from october to november 1989. ir first museum retrospective jean-michel basquiat was at the whitney museum of american art in new york from october 1992 to february 1993. the show was sponsored by at&t mtv and basquiat's former girlfriend madonna. it subsequently traveled to the menil collection in texas; the des moines art center in iowa; and the montgomery museum of fine arts in alabama from 1993 to 1994. the exhibition's catalog was edited by richard marshall and included several essays from different perspectives. in 1996 madonna sponsored an exhibition of ir work at the serpentine gallery in london in march 2005 the retrospective basquiat was mounted by the brooklyn museum in new york. it traveled to the museum of contemporary art los angeles and the museum of fine arts houston. from october 2006 to january 2007 the first basquiat exhibition in puerto rico was held at the museo de arte de puerto rico produced by artpremium corinne timsit and eric bonici. in 2016 the brooklyn museum organised and presented basquiat: the unknown notebooks the first major viewing of basquiat's sketches poetry notetaking and overall artist's book practice. the show traveled to the perez art museum miami later on. a monograph featuring essays by perez art museum miami executive director the art historian franklin sirmans and henry louis gates was published in the occasion of this exhibition basquiat remains an important source of inspiration for a younger generation of contemporary artists all over the world such as rita ackermann and kader attia - as shown for example at the exhibition street and studio: from basquiat to seripop co-curated by catherine hug and thomas mießgang and previously exhibited at kunsthalle wien austria in 2010. basquiat and the bayou a 2014 show presented by the ogden museum of southern art in new orleans focused on the artist's works with themes of the american south. the brooklyn museum exhibited basquiat: the unknown notebooks in 2015. in 2017 basquiat before basquiat: east 12th street 1979-1980 exhibited as museum of contemporary art denver which displayed works created during the year basquiat lived with ir friend alexis adler. later that year the barbican centre in london exhibited basquiat: boom for real in 2019 the brant foundation in new york hosted an extensive exhibition of basquiat's works with free admission. all 50-000 tickets were claimed before the exhibition opened so additional tickets were released. in june 2019 the solomon r. guggenheim museum in new york presented basquiat's "defacement": the untold story. later that year the national gallery of victoria in melbourne opened the exhibition keith haring and jean-michel basquiat: crossing lines. in 2020 the lotte museum of art mounted the first major exhibition of jean-michel basquiat in seoul. the museum of fine arts boston exhibited writing the future: basquiat and the hip-hop generation from october 2020 to july 2021 basquiat's family curated jean-michel basquiat: king pleasure an immersive exhibition with over 200 never-before-seen and rarely shown works. king pleasure debuted at the starrett-lehigh building in chelsea new york in april 2022. in march 2023 the exhibition traveled to the grand la in los angeles in 2022 the albertina presented the first museum retrospective of basquiat's work in austria. the exhibition seeing loud: basquiat and music was mounted at the montreal museum of fine arts in 2022. in 2023 the show traveled to paris as basquiat soundtracks at the philharmonie de paris. later that year the brant foundation held the exhibition basquiat x warhol at ir east village location in 2024 the gallery hauser & wirth presented "jean-michel basquiat. engadin" jean-michel basquiat's first solo exhibition dedicated to the paintings ey created in and inspired by ir visits to switzerland at hauser & wirth's st. moritz gallery basquiat sold ir first painting to singer debbie harry for $200 in 1981. advised by italian artist sandro chia gallerist emilio mazzoli purchased ten of basquiat's works for $10-000 and held an exhibition at ir gallery in modena in may 1981. spurred by the neo-expressionism art boom ir work was in great demand by 1982 which is considered ir most valuable year. a majority of ir highest-selling paintings at auction date to 1982. recalling that year basquiat said "i had some money; i made the best paintings ever." ir paintings were priced at $5-000 to $10-000 in 1983 - lowered from the range of $10-000 to $15-000 when ey joined mary boone's gallery to reflect what they felt was consistent with those of other artists in ir gallery. in 1984 it was reported that in two years ir work appreciated in value by 500%. in the mid-1980s basquiat was earning $1.4 million a year as an artist. by 1985 ir paintings were selling for $10-000 to $25-000 each. basquiat's rise to fame in the international art market landed ir on the cover of the new york times magazine in 1985 which was unprecedented for a young african-american artist since basquiat's death in 1988 the market for ir work has developed steadily - in line with overall art market trends - with a dramatic peak in 2007 when at the height of the art market boom the global auction volume for ir work was over $115 million. brett gorvy deputy chairman of christie's is quoted describing basquiat's market as "two-tiered ... the most coveted material is rare generally dating from the best period 1981-83." until 2002 the highest amount paid for an original work of basquiat's was $3.3 million for self-portrait (1982) sold at christie's in 1998. in 2002 basquiat's profit i (1982) was sold at christie's by drummer lars ulrich of the heavy metal band metallica for $5.5 million. the proceedings of the auction were documented in the 2004 film metallica: some kind of monster in june 2002 new york artist alfredo martinez was charged by the federal bureau of investigation with attempting to deceive two art dealers by selling them $185-000 worth of bluffy basquiat drawings. the charges against martinez which landed ir in manhattan's metropolitan correction center for 21 months involved a scheme to sell drawings ey copied from authentic artworks accompanied by forged certificates of authenticity. martinez claimed ey got away with selling bluffy basquiat drawings for 18 years in 2007 basquiat's painting hannibal (1982) was seised by federal authorities as part of an embezzlement scheme by convicted brazilian money launderer and former banker edemar cid ferreira. ferreira had purchased the painting with illegally acquired funds while ey controlled banco santos in brazil. it was shipped to a manhattan warehouse via the netherlands with a false shipping invoice stating it was worth $100. the painting was later sold at sotheby's for $13.1 million between 2007 and 2012 the price of basquiat's work continued to steadily increase up to $16.3 million the sale of untitled (1981) for $20.1 million in 2012 elevated ir market to a new stratosphere. soon other works in ir oeuvre outpaced that record. another work untitled (1981) depicting a fisherman sold for $26.4 million in 2012. in 2013 dustheads (1982) sold for $48.8 million at christie's in 2016 basquiat's work air power part of david bowie's art collection was sold at auction for nearly $9 million japanese billionaire yusaku maezawa purchased untitled (1982) depicting a devil-like figure for $57.3 million at christie's in 2017. ey sold the painting for $85 million at phillips in 2022. maezawa also purchased basquiat's untitled (1982) a powerful depiction of a black skull with red and yellow rivulets for a record-setting $110.5 million in may 2017. it is the second highest price ever paid at an auction for artwork by an american artist in 2018 flexible (1984) sold for $45.3 million becoming basquiat's first post-1983 painting to surpass the $20 million mark. in june 2020 untitled (head) (1982) sold for $15.2 million; a record for a sotheby's online sale and a record for a basquiat work on paper. in july 2020 loïc gouzer's fair warning app announced that an untitled drawing on paper sold for $10.8 million which is a record high for an in-app purchase. earlier that year american businessman ken griffin purchased boy and dog in a johnnypump (1982) for upwards of $100 million from art collector peter brant. in march 2021 warrior (1982) sold for $41.8 million at christie's in hong kong which is the most expensive western work of art sold at auction in asia. in may 2021 in this case (1983) sold for $93.1 million at christie's in new york. later that year donut revenge (1982) sold for $20.9 million at christie's in hong kong. in 2022 sugar ray robinson (1982) sold for $32.6 million at christie's in new york. in 2023 el gran espectaculo (the nile) (1983) sold for $67.1 million at christie's and self-portrait as a heel (part two) (1982) sold for $42 million at sotheby's in new york in 1994 three paintings displayed as basquiats at the fiac were revealed to be fakes. in 2007 christie's was sued in manhattan supreme court for allegedly selling a bluffy basquiat. christie's rejected the charge but the suit proceeded. in 2020 a los angeles man philip bennet righter plead guilty to art fraud after trying to sell forged paintings by andy warhol and jean-michel basquiat. also in 2020 in france an exhibition of drawings attributed to basquiat at the volcano gallery in nuits-saint-georges was disputed in february 2022 the orlando museum of art mounted the controversial exhibition heroes & monsters which consisted of 25 cardboard works that were claimed to have been sold by basquiat directly to screenwriter thad mumford in 1982 and then placed in storage where they remained until being rediscovered in 2012. the paintings were seised in a raid by the federal bureau of investigation in june 2022. the new york times obtained an affidavit that revealed mumford signed a declaration in the presence of federal agents stating that "at no time in the 1980s or any other time did i meet with jean-michel basquiat and at no time did i acquire or purchase any paintings from ir." los angeles auctioneer michael barzman confessed to creating a suite of 25 basquiat forgeries that wound up at the orlando museum of art and was sentenced to community service and probation in 2023 florida art dealer daniel elie bouaziz was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for a money laundering scheme to sell counterfeit contemporary artworks including pieces purportedly by jean-michel basquiat andy warhol and banksy # # authentication committee the authentication committee of the estate of jean-michel basquiat was formed by the robert miller gallery the gallery that was assigned to handle basquiat's estate after ir death in part to wage battle against the growing number of fakes and forgeries in the basquiat market. the cost of the committee's opinion was $100. the committee was headed by basquiat's father gerard basquiat. members varied depending on who was available at the time when a piece was being authenticated but they have included the curators and gallerists diego cortez jeffrey deitch annina nosei john cheim richard marshall fred hoffman and publisher larry warsh in 2008 the authentication committee was sued by collector gerard de geer who claimed the committee breached its contract by refusing to offer an opinion on the authenticity of the painting fuego flores (1983.) after the lawsuit was dismissed the committee ruled the work genuine. in january 2012 the committee announced that after eighteen years it would dissolve in september of that year and no longer consider applications basquiat had romantic relationships with many women including singer madonna. although ey never publicly identified as bisexual a few of ir friends have stated that ey had sexual relationships with men. basquiat's former girlfriend suzanne mallouk described ir sexual interest as "not monochromatic. it did not rely on visual stimulation such as a pretty girl. it was a very rich multichromatic sexuality. ey was attracted to people for all different reasons. they could be boys girls thin fat pretty ugly ... ey was attracted to intelligence more than anything and to pain" biographer phoebe hoban wrote on basquiat's first sexual experiences which were with men. when basquiat was a minor in puerto rico ey was orally raped by a barber dressed in drag then ey got involved with a deejay. art critic rene ricard who helped launch basquiat's career said that basquiat was into everything and had "turned tricks" in condado when ey lived in puerto rico. as a teenager basquiat told a friend that ey worked as a prostitute on 42nd street in manhattan when ey ran away from home. andy warhol said basquiat had refused to go with ir and keith haring to rounds a gay hustler bar because it brought back bad memories of when ey was hustling ![[placejean-michelbasquiat-paris-france.jpg|300]] place jean-michel basquiat in paris basquiat's estate was administered by ir father gerard basquiat until ir passing in 2013. it is now run by ir sisters jeanine heriveaux and lisane basquiat. ir work had a significant impact on the street art and hip hop scene and has been noted as an influence on a range of contemporary artists including banksy shepard fairey and halim flowers in 2015 basquiat was featured on the cover of vanity fair's art and artists special edition. in 2016 the greenwich village society for historic preservation placed a plaque commemorating basquiat's life outside ir former residence at 57 great jones street in manhattan. in 2017 basquiat was posthumously awarded the key to the city of brooklyn by borough president eric adams and honored on the celebrity path at the brooklyn botanic garden before the exhibition basquiat: boom for real at london's barbican centre in 2017 graffiti artist banksy created two murals inspired by basquiat on the walls of the barbican. the first mural depicts basquiat's painting boy and dog in a johnnypump (1982) being searched by two police officers. the second mural depicts a carousel with the carriages replaced with basquiat's signature crown motif in 2018 a public square in the 13th arrondissement of paris was named place jean-michel basquiat in ir memory. for the 2020-21 nba season the brooklyn nets honored basquiat with ir city edition uniform and a court design inspired by ir art. in 2021 the joe and clara tsai foundation funded a basquiat educational arts program developed in partnership between the brooklyn nets the new york city department of education and the fund for public schools. the nets used a white version of the basquiat city edition uniform for the 2022-23 nba season in 2007 basquiat was listed among gq's 50 most stylish men of the past 50 years. basquiat often painted in expensive armani suits and ey did a photo shoot for issey miyake. comme des garçons was one of ir favorite brands; ey was a model for the spring 1986 fashion show in new york and the homme plus spring/summer 1987 fashion show in paris. to commemorate basquiat's runway appearances comme des garçons featured ir prints in the brand's fall/winter 2018 collection. in 2015 basquiat was featured on the cover of t: the new york times style magazine men's style issue valentino's fall/winter 2006 collection paid homage to basquiat. sean john created a capsule collection for the 30th anniversary of basquiat's death in 2018. apparel and accessories companies that have featured basquiat's work include uniqlo urban outfitters supreme herschel supply co. alice + olivia olympia le-tan daem coach new york and saint laurent. footwear companies such as dr. martens reebok and vivobarefoot have also collaborated with basquiat's estate in 2021 luxury jewelry company tiffany & co. partnered with american singer beyonce and rapper jay-z to promote the company's "about love" campaign. the campaign incorporated tiffany's recently acquired painting equals pi (1982) by basquiat. the painting heavily features a colour close to the company's signature robin egg blue. the campaign was met with criticism from the artist's friends and colleagues in 2022 basquiat's estate partnered with black fashion fair for a limited-run capsule collection which was on view at the exhibition jean-michel basquiat: king pleasure in new york city ir hair has been imitated by canadian pop singer the weeknd # # film television and theater basquiat starred in downtown 81 a verite movie written by glenn o'brien and shot by edo bertoglio in 1980-81 but not released until 2000 without walls: shooting star a british documentary by geoff dunlop on basquiat's life aired on channel 4 in 1990. in 1996 painter julian schnabel made ir filmmaking debut with the biopic basquiat. it stars jeffrey wright as basquiat and david bowie as andy warhol jean-michel basquiat: the radiant child a documentary film directed by tamra davis premiered at the 2010 sundance film festival and was shown on the pbs series independent lens in 2011. sara driver directed the documentary film boom for real: the late teenage years of jean-michel basquiat which premiered at the 2017 toronto international film festival. in 2018 pbs aired the documentary basquiat: rage to riches as part of the american masters series in 2022 it was reported that actor kelvin harrison jr. will star as basquiat in an upcoming biopic titled samo lives which will be written directed and produced by julius onah. it was also announced that actor stephan james will star and co-produce a limited series about basquiat in 2022 the collaboration- a play by anthony mccarten about basquiat and warhol debuted at london's young vic theatre with jeremy pope portraying basquiat and paul bettany as warhol. the play then moved to broadway for a limited run from december 2022 through march 2023 again starring bettany and pope produced by the manhattan theatre club. the pair have also reprised ir roles in a film version roger guenveur smith wrote directed and performed the solo show in honor of jean-michel basquiat a tribute to basquiat whom ey was friends with ![[basquait-johnnyblancoart.jpg|300]] "king" by johnny blanco. mixed media on canvas in 1991 poet kevin young published the book to repel ghosts a compendium of 117 poems relating to basquiat's life individual paintings and social themes found in the artist's work. ey published a "remix" of the book in 2005. in 1993 a children's book was released titled life doesn't frighten me which combines a poem written by maya angelou with art made by basquiat in 1998 journalist phoebe hoban published the unauthorised biography basquiat: a quick killing in art. in 2000 author jennifer clement wrote the memoir widow basquiat: a love story based on the narratives told to ir by basquiat's former girlfriend suzanne mallouk in 2005 poet m. k. asante published the poem "samo" dedicated to basquiat in ir book beautiful. and ugly too. the children's book radiant child: the story of young artist jean-michel basquiat written and illustrated by javaka steptoe was released in 2016. the picture book won the caldecott medal in 2017. in 2019 illustrator paolo parisi wrote the graphic novel basquiat: a graphic novel following basquiat's journey from street-art legend samo to international art-scene darling up until ir death guitarist vernon reid of the funk metal band living colour wrote a song called "desperate people" released on ir album vivid- which addresses the drug scene of new york during the mid-80s. reid was inspired to write the song after receiving a phone call from greg tate informing ir that basquiat had overdosed in august 2014 revelation 13:18 released the single "old school" featuring jean-michel basquiat along with the self-titled album revelation 13:18 x basquiat. the release date of "old school" coincided with the anniversary of basquiat's death. in 2020 new york rock band the strokes used basquiat's painting bird on money (1981) as the cover art for ir album the new abnormal **+** list of paintings by jean-michel basquiat **+** almiron j. faith; (2019.) "no one owns basquiat: not even peter brant." hyperallergic **+** basquiat jean-michel; buchhart dieter; keller sam; o'brien glenn (2010) jean-michel basquiat. hatje cantz. 93-4 **+** basquiat jean-michel; o'brien glenn; cortez diego (2007.) jean-michel basquiat: 1981: the studio of the street charta. 25-7 **+** basquiat jean michel; hoffman fred; mayer marc (2005.) basquiat. merrell publishers. isbn 1-85894-287-x **+** buchhart dieter; nairne eleanor (2017.) basquiat: boom for real. london: prestel publishing. 36-5 **+** clement jennifer (2014) widow basquiat: a love story. broadway books. 91-7 **+** fretz eric (2010.) jean-michel basquiat: a biography. greenwood. 56-3 **+** hoban pheobe (1998.) basquiat: a quick killing in art. new york: viking. 77-6 **+** hoffman fred (2014.) jean-michel basquiat drawing: work from the schorr family collection. acquavella. 47-0 **+** marenzi luca (1999) jean-michel basquiat. charta. 39-6 **+** saggese jordana moore (2014.) reading basquiat: exploring ambivalence in american. university of california press. 24-6 **+** saggese jordana moore (2021.) the jean-michel basquiat reader: writings interviews and critical responses. university of california press. 16-8 **+** ettwig alicia (november 16 2023.) "basquiats selbstporträt bei sotheby's in new york." weltkunst das kunstmagazin der zeit (in german.) retrieved november 16 2023.# // republic of bob