Amics colomencs del basquiat biography
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He sold sweatshirts and postcards featuring his artwork on the streets before his painting career took off.
Personal Life: Relationships and Struggles
Jean-Michel Basquiat's personal life was as tumultuous and complex as his artistic journey. Despite their differing approaches—Warhol's commercial polish and Basquiat's raw abstraction—the fusion of their styles created a new form of narrative art that captivated audiences and challenged the traditional boundaries of the art market.
To make ends meet, he sold sweatshirts and postcards featuring his artwork on the streets of his native New York.
Crown Motif
In his earlier works, Basquiat was known for using a crown motif, which was his way of celebrating Black people as majestic royalty or deeming them as saints.
Describing the crown itself in further detail, artist Francesco Clemente posited: "Jean-Michel’s crown has three peaks, for his three royal lineages: the poet, the musician, the great boxing champion.
His unique style, characterized by a blend of graffiti, Neo-Expressionism, and cultural commentary, captivated audiences and critics alike. Ludwigshafen, Wilhem-Hack Museum, Heilbronn, Germany
Logos, Anne Plumb Gallery, New York, USA
Works on Paper, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, USA
1986
An American Renaissance: Painting and Sculpture Since 1940, Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, USA
Figure as Subject: The Last Decade: Selections from the Permanent Collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Equitable Center, New York, USA
75th American Exhibition, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA
Naivety in Art, Setegaya Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
Contemporary Issues III, Holman Hall Art Gallery, Trenton State College, USA
Portrait of a Collector: Stephane Janssen, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humbleback, Denmark; Traveled to: University Art Museum, California State University, Long Beach, USA
Heads, Motokoff Gallery, New York, USA
Zeichen, Symbole, Graffiti in der aktuellen Kunst, Suermondt-Ludwig Museum und Museumsverein, Aachen, Germany
Esprit de New York: Paintings and Drawings, Galerie Barbara Farber, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Collaborations: Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, Akira Ikeda Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Prospekt 86, Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt, Germany
Focus on the Image: Selections from the Rivendell Collection, The Art Museum Association of America, San Francisco, USA; Traveled to: Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, USA; The University of Oklahoma Museum of Art, Norman, USA; Muson-Williams- Proctor Institute Museum of Art, Utica, USA; University of South Florida Art Galleries, Tampa, USA; Lakeview Museum of Art and Sciences, Peoria, USA; University Art Museum, California State University, Long Beach, USA; Laguna Gloria Art Museum, Austin, USA
1976-1986: Ten Years of Collecting Contemporary American Art: Selections from the Edward R.
Downe, Jr. Collection, Wellesley College Museum, Wellesley, USA
New Painting, Larry Gagosian Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
Basquiat-Combas Peintures, Louis Cane Sculptures, Librairie Beaubourg, Paris, France
1985
XIII Biennale de Paris, Grand Halle du Parc de la Villete, Paris, France
The Door, Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, USA
Das Oberengadin in der Maleriei, Segantini Museum, St.
Moritz, Switzerland
Drawing the Line: Painting, Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, USA
Vom Zeichnen: Aspekte der Zeichnung 1960-1985, Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt, Germany; Traveled to: Kasseler Kunstverein, Kassel, Germany; Museum Moderne Kunst, Vienna, Austria
Drawings, Knight Gallery, Spirit Square Arts Center, Charlotte, USA
Basquiat and James Surls, La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla, USA
7000 Eichen.
Kassel, Germany
Drawings, Blum Helman Gallery, New York, USA
The Expressionist Image: American Art from Pollack to Today, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA
Still Modern After All These Years, The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, USA
Group Show, Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, USA
New York Now, Kestner-Gesellschaft, Hannover, Germany; Traveled to: Kunstverein München, Germany; Museé Cantonal des Beaux-Arts Lausanne, Switzerland; Kunstverein für die Rheinländer und Westfalen, Dusseldorf, Germany
Five Americans, Musee Civico, Modena, Italy
Drawings/Visions: New York, Jauns Gallery, New York, USA
Works on Paper, Larry Gagosian Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
Group Show, Blum/Helman, New York, USA
1981
New York/New Wave, P.S.
1 Institute for Art and Urban Resources, Long Island City, USA
Lower Manhattan Drawing Show, Mudd Club, New York, USA
Beyond Words: Graffiti Based-Rooted-Inspired Works, Mudd Club, New York, USA
Public Address, Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, USA
Group Show, Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, USA
Public collections
Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, USA
Beaubourg (Le Centre National d’Art et de Culture Georges Pompidou), Paris, France
Brant Foundation Art Study Center, Greenwich, USA
Broad Art Foundation, Santa Monica, USA
Brooklyn Museum, New York, USA
Daros Collection, Zurich, Switzerland
Fukuoka Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan
Guggenheim Bilbao, Bilbao, Spain
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, USA
Hoffmann Collection, Berlin, Germany
Ludwig Forum for International Art, Aachen, Germany
Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University, Durham, USA
Menil Collection, Houston, USA
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, USA
Musee d'Art Contemporain, Marseilles, France
Museu d'Art Contemporani (MACBA), Barcelona, Spain
Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Museum für Neue Kunst, Karlsruhe, Germany
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles, USA
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA
Portland Art Museum, Portland, USA
Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, USA
Rubell Family Collection, Miami, USA
San Fransisco Museum of Modern Art, San Fransisco, USA
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA
Jean-Michel Basquiat | Biography
Who is Jean-Michel Basquiat?
Jean-Michel Basquiat was a groundbreaking artist who emerged from the vibrant streets of New York City in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
- I am not a Black artist, I am an artist.
The Biography.com staff is a team of people-obsessed and news-hungry editors with decades of collective experience. During this time, Basquiat began making a name for himself with graffiti art under the moniker "SAMO," which led to his early recognition in the vibrant New York City art scene.
With a Haitian-American father and a Puerto Rican mother, Basquiat's diverse cultural heritage was one of his many sources of inspiration.
A self-taught artist, Basquiat began drawing at an early age on sheets of paper his father, an accountant, brought home from the office. Gagosian Gallery, New York, USA
Jean-Michel Basquiat: Paintings and Drawings, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich, Switzerland
Warlhol/Basquiat, Kunstforum, Vienna, Austria
Man Made: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Sotheby’s, New York, USA
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kukje Gallery, Seoul, Korea
2012
Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, Gagosian Gallery, London, UK
Picasso / Basquiat, Van de Weghe Fine Art, New York, USA
Warhol and Basquiat, Arken Museum of Modern Art, Ishøj, Denmark
2010
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Galerie Pascal Lansberg, Paris, France
Jean-Michel Basquiat, The Fondation Beyeler, Basel, Switzerland; Traveled to: City Museum of Modern Art, Paris, France
Basquiat/Warhol, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, USA
2009
Large Drawings, Stellan Holm Gallery, New York, USA
2008
Jean-Michel Basquiat: To Repel Ghosts, Fundación Botín, Santander, Spain; Traveled to: Fondazione Memmo, Rome, Italy
2006
The Jean-Michel Basquiat show, Fondazione La Triennale di Milano, Milan, Italy
Jean-Michel Basquiat 1981: The Studio of the Street, Deitch Projects, New York, USA
2005
In Word Only, Cheim & Read, New York, USA
Basquiat, Brooklyn Museum, New York, USA; Traveled to: Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, USA; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Museo d'Arte Moderna, Lugano, Italy
2002
Andy Warhol & Jean-Michel Basquiat: Collaboration Paintings, Gagosian Gallery, Beverly Hills, USA
1998
Jean-Michel Basquiat: Drawings & Paintings 1980-1988, Gagosian Gallery, Beverly Hills, USA
1997
Jean-Michel Basquiat: Oeuvres Sur Papier, Fondation Dina-Vierny-Musée Maillol, Paris, France
Andy Warhol & Jean-Michel Basquiat: Collaborations, Gagosian Gallery, New York, USA
1996
Jean-Michel Basquiat: Bodies and Heads, Robert Miller Gallery, New York, USA
Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Basquiat first gained notoriety as a graffiti artist under the pseudonym "SAMO," tagging the urban landscape with cryptic messages and aphorisms. His unique style combined elements of street art, primitivism, and neo-expressionism, quickly capturing the attention of the art world. It was also the highest price for a painting by Basquiat and by a Black artist.
His growing popularity reflected a market increasingly interested in diverse voices and representations in the art world. Our staff also works with freelance writers, researchers, and other contributors to produce the smart, compelling profiles and articles you see on our site. As he delved deeper into his creative side, his mother strongly encouraged him to pursue his artistic talents.
Basquiat first attracted attention for his graffiti in New York City in the late 1970s, under the name "SAMO." Working with a close friend, he tagged subway trains and Manhattan buildings with cryptic aphorisms.
In 1977 Basquiat quit high school a year before he was slated to graduate.
From an early age, Basquiat showed a deep affinity for art, often drawing on sheets of paper that his father, an accountant, would bring home.
Their synergy produced a series of distinctive artworks that melded Basquiat's vibrant, emotive style with Warhol's signature pop imagery, creating pieces that resonated with contemporary themes of consumerism and identity. This bold move was driven by his desire to pursue a creative path in the bustling streets of New York City.
Their collaboration began in the mid-1980s, as both artists were influential figures in the Neo-Expressionism movement and shared a mutual respect for each other's work. This diverse heritage played a significant role in shaping his artistic vision and identity.