Basquiat’s oeuvre can now be said to constitute a Black male wall of fame, one exploding with markers of the fraught conquests, Pyrrhic victories, and traumatic vicissitudes of Black male being-and-nothingness in America.
Tag: Jean-Michel Basquiat
Barbie’s Back, as Basquiat?
The latest from Mattel suggests another 20th-century artist has become just a recognizable style easily packaged for kids.
Remembering Basquiat Through the Keepsakes He Gave Intimates
Our Friend, Jean, an exhibition of ephemera left behind, given to, or swapped with people who knew Basquiat prior to his extraordinary fame, offers a tiny but intimate window into his life.
The Bittersweet Nostalgia of Watching Basquiat in Downtown 81
A time capsule that holds the legendary artist in immortal youth, the cult classic also preserves a certain New York, which has now changed beyond recognition.
The Cult of Jean-Michel Basquiat
What happens when an artist’s mythologized life distracts from his work?
In a Biting Letter to Basquiat in 1981, Edith Schloss Dragged the NYC Art Scene
Read this 3,700-word, hyper-critical letter discussing the work of Philip Guston, Anselm Kiefer, Nell Blaine, Bill King, Arthur Dove, Marsden Hartley, and several others: “Everyone seems to be proud of having no go, no oomph.”
No One Owns Basquiat, Not Even Peter Brant
Brant has cogently influenced the legacy of Basquiat on several fronts, but the artist and his work remain gloriously defiant.
A Documentary on Basquiat’s Teen Years Tracks a Star’s Early Ascent
Sara Driver’s new documentary Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat wants to bring the young art star back down to earth, but often can’t help positioning hovering him above.
Seeing Beyond Basquiat’s Market Value
With Basquiat’s work transformed into an overhyped commodity, it can seem difficult to assess it for ourselves.
Billionaire Loans $110M Basquiat to the Brooklyn Museum
The painting will feature in the museum’s One Basquiat exhibition, January 26–March 11.
New Banksy Murals Pay Homage to Basquiat
The two murals in central London appeared just before the opening of a major Basquiat exhibition at the Barbican Centre.
Construction Workers Uncover Possible Basquiat Tag on Megacollector’s Building
A line of text that appears to be original graffiti by the duo SAMO was found on a Lower Manhattan building owned by developer Aby Rosen.