Graffiti, Neo-expressionism, Contemporary art
Biography
Jean-Michel
Basquiat was born on December 22, 1960 in Brooklyn, New York. His father,
Gerard Basquiat was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and his mother, Matilde was
born in Brooklyn of Puerto Rican parents. Early on, Basquiat displayed a
proficiency in art which was encouraged by his mother. In 1977, Basquiat, along
with friend Al Diaz begins spray painting cryptic aphorisms on subway trains
and around lower Manhattan and signing them with the name SAMO© (Same
Old Shit). "SAMO© as an end to mindwash religion,
nowhere politics, and bogus philosophy," "SAMO© saves
idiots," "Plush safe he think; SAMO© ."
In
1978 Basquiat left home for good and quit school just one year before
graduating form high school. He lived with friends and began selling hand
painted postcards and T-shirts. In June of 1980, Basquiat's art was
publicly exhibited for the first time in a show sponsored by Colab
(Collaborative Projects Incorporated) along with the work of Jenny Holzer, Lee
Quinones, Kenny Scharf, Kiki Smith, Robin Winters, John Ahearn, Jane Dickson,
Mike Glier, Mimi Gross, and David Hammons. Basquiat continued to exhibit his
work around New York City and in Europe, participating in shows along with the
likes of Keith
Haring, Barbara Kruger.
In
December of 1981, poet and artist Rene Ricard published the first major article
on Basquiat entitled "The Radiant Child" in Artforum. In
1982, Basquiat was featured in the group show "Transavanguardia:
Italia/America" along with Neo-Expressionists Sandro Chia, Francesco
Clemente, Enzu Cucchi, David Deutsch, David Salle, and Julian Schnabel (who
will go on to direct the biographical film Basquiat in 1996). In 1983 Basquiat
had one-artist exhibitions at the galleries of Annina Nosei and Larry Gagosian
and was also included in the "1983 Biennial Exhibition" at the
Whitney Museum of American Art. It was also in 1983 that Basquiat was befriended
by Andy Warhol,
a relationship which sparked discussion concerning white patronization of black
art, a conflict which remains, to this day, at the center of most discussions
of Basquiat's life and work. Basquiat and Warhol collaborated on a number of
paintings, none of which are are critically acclaimed. Their relationship
continued, despite this, until Warhol's death in 1987.
TITLED: JIM CROW
By
1984, many of Basquiat's friends had become quite concerned about his excessive
drug use, often finding him unkempt and in a state of paranoia.
Basquiat's paranoia was also fueled by the very real threat of people stealing
work from his apartment and of art dealers taking unfinished work from his
studio. On February 10, 1985, Basquiat appeared on the cover of The
New York Times Magazine, posing for the Cathleen McGuigan article "New
Art, New Money: The Marketing of an American Artist." In March ,
Basquiat had his second one-artist show at the Mary Boone Gallery. In the
exhibition catalogue, Robert Farris Thompson spoke of Basquiat's work in terms
of an Afro-Atlantic tradition, a context in which this art had never been
discussed.
In
1986, Basquiat travelled to Africa for the first time and his work was shown in
Abidjan, Ivory Coast. In November, a large exhibition of more than sixty
paintings and drawings opened at the Kestner-Gesellschaft in Hannover; at
twenty-five Basquiat was the youngest artist ever given an exhibition there. In
1988, Basquiat had shows in both Paris and New York; the New York show was
praised by some critics, an encouraging development. Basquiat attempted
to kick his heroin addiction by leaving the temptations of New York for his
ranch in Hawaii. He returned to New York in June claiming to be drug-free.
On August 12 , Basquiat died as the result of a heroin overdose. He was 27.
Primary source for biography:
Sirmans, M. Franklin. "Chronology." Jean-Michel Basquiat. Ed. Richard Marshall. New York: Whitney/Abrams, 1992. 233-250.
Primary source for biography:
Sirmans, M. Franklin. "Chronology." Jean-Michel Basquiat. Ed. Richard Marshall. New York: Whitney/Abrams, 1992. 233-250.
TITLED: SLAVE AUCTION
From Street to Studio
Basquiat once told an interviewer, "Since I was seventeen, I thought I might be a star." As a teenager, he plunged into the emerging eighties art scene. He met artists and celebrities at the Mudd Club; appeared on Glenn O'Brien's TV Party, a television show about the downtown scene; and starred in a low-budget film, Downtown 81 (New York Beat), based on his own life. All the time, he was also making art: hitting downtown Manhattan buildings with spray-painted aphorisms, selling hand-painted T-shirts and collages on the streets, and making drawings. His big break came in 1980, when critics singled out his work at the Times Square Show, an exhibition showcasing young New York artists. He finally got a studio in 1981, when his first New York dealer, Annina Nosei, invited him to paint in the basement of her gallery.
Until then, he had little money to buy supplies, so he painted on window frames, cabinet doors, even football helmets—whatever he could find. After Basquiat began to make money, the quality of his art materials improved. Even so, throughout his career he often chose to paint on rough, handmade supports and intentionally pursued the awkward look of outsider art.
Basquiat once told an interviewer, "Since I was seventeen, I thought I might be a star." As a teenager, he plunged into the emerging eighties art scene. He met artists and celebrities at the Mudd Club; appeared on Glenn O'Brien's TV Party, a television show about the downtown scene; and starred in a low-budget film, Downtown 81 (New York Beat), based on his own life. All the time, he was also making art: hitting downtown Manhattan buildings with spray-painted aphorisms, selling hand-painted T-shirts and collages on the streets, and making drawings. His big break came in 1980, when critics singled out his work at the Times Square Show, an exhibition showcasing young New York artists. He finally got a studio in 1981, when his first New York dealer, Annina Nosei, invited him to paint in the basement of her gallery.
Until then, he had little money to buy supplies, so he painted on window frames, cabinet doors, even football helmets—whatever he could find. After Basquiat began to make money, the quality of his art materials improved. Even so, throughout his career he often chose to paint on rough, handmade supports and intentionally pursued the awkward look of outsider art.
Legacy
In 1996, seven years after his death, a biopic titled Basquiat was released, directed by Julian Schnabel, with actor Jeffrey Wrightplaying Basquiat. David Bowie played the part of Andy Warhol. Schnabel purchased the rights to the project after being interviewed, as a personal acquaintance of Basquiat, during its script development and realizing that he could do a better film.[32]
In 1991, poet Kevin Young produced a 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. He published a “remix” of the book in 2005.[33]
In 2005, poet M.K. Asante, Jr. published the poem "SAMO," dedicated to Basquiat, in his book Beautiful. And Ugly Too.
A 2009 documentary film, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, directed by Tamra Davis, was first screened as part of the 2010Sundance Film Festival and was shown on the PBS series Independent Lens in 2011.[24]
In 2011, MC/poet/hip hop producer Ohini Jonez released a piece called "Basquiat (PBUH)" on Tumblr to widespread online acclaim.
Both Jay-Z and Kanye West made reference to Basquiat on their 2011 collaborative album "Watch The Throne". In "Illest Motherfucker Alive", Jay-Z raps "Basquiats, Warhols serving as my muses".
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