Links đź”—
Great Art Explained YouTube Video
Jean-Michel Basquiat Website
Sotheby’s 21 Facts about JMB
On this week’s Pub Convos, we kick off another sub-theme by covering one of the most influential artists in the 1980s – Jean Michel Basquiat. He was an enigmatic character who produced artwork on social commentary such as racism and colonialism. His neo-expressionist style is highly distinguishable and have been heavily featured by fashion brands such as Uniqlo, Valentino and Supreme.
Early Years:
Jean-Michel Basquiat was born on the 22nd of December 1960 in New York City to a Haitian father and an American mother of Puerto Rican descent.
He spent many of his early years visiting museums and art galleries in New York soaking up the art with his mother who eventually enrolled him as a junior member at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
Basquiat was involved in a car accident when he was 7, while recuperating in the hospital his mother bought him a copy of Gray’s Anatomy which inspired his fascination with anatomy and can be seen as a major influence in his work as an artist.
Meteoric Rise to Fame:
Basquiat began his art career in 1978 by partnering up with classmate Al Diaz spray painting on buildings across Lower Manhattan. They always signed off using the pseudonym SAMO and would leave cryptic messages in their works. The partnership fell apart in 1980.
Basquiat started selling postcards to fund his life and reportedly sold one to Andy Warhol. Basquiat sold his first painting to singer Debbie Harry from Blondie for $200.
Basquiat used his rising fame to join Annina Nosei Gallery and started working as an in-house artist. He produced artwork on anything he could get his hands on including old wooden doors.
Basquiat would go on to be showcased in multiple art shows and collaborated with famous artists like Andy Warhol, developed a friendship with Keith Haring and dated Madonna.
Death and Legacy:
On August 12, 1988, Basquiat died at the tender age of 27 due to an accidental heroin overdose in his home in Manhattan.
Basquiat managed to produce more than 2000 pieces of art in his lifetime and his most iconic – Untitled (1982) was sold at Sotheby’s for a record $110 million. The most money paid for a piece of artwork by an American artist to this day.
One of the most iconic symbols in Basquiat’s artwork is the three-pronged crown in which he used to crown his heroes such as Hank Aaron and Charlie Parker. This was highly symbolic and celebrated the success and brilliance of the black community at a time where they were often overlooked.
Despite his tragic death at a young age, Jean-Michel Basquiat made a lasting impact in art and culture that would be an inspiration to many after him. Fred Brathwaite described him with the quote “Jean-Michel lived like a flame. He burned really bright. Then the fire went out. But the embers are still hot”. Those same embers still burn hot these days and continue to illuminate the paths of many artists.
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