Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Emerging from the New York City street-art scene, Jean-Michel Basquiat would become one of the most significant artists of the 20th century as he mixed hand-scrawled text, vibrant color, gestural brushwork and themes of social commentary in a prolific output of Neo-Expressionist paintings. Although his pieces always retained the improvisational energy of graffiti, Basquiat used deceptively uncomplicated motifs such as crowns and professional boxers to honor the majesty and power of Black men and place himself in that lineage. Today, Basquiat’s art is among the most expensive in the world, with his paintings regularly fetching tens of millions of dollars at auction.
Born in Brooklyn to a Haitian-American father and Puerto Rican mother, Basquiat’s parents treated him to regular visits to New York City museums and nurtured his early talent for drawing cartoons. When he was hit by a car while playing in the street, Basquiat’s mother gave him a copy of the lushly illustrated medical reference book Gray’s Anatomy. Later, human bones and body parts such as skulls and rib cages would prove potent as subject matter for his provocative and spirited visual explorations of social issues as well as his own vulnerability and the struggles he faced as a Black artist.
As a teenager, Basquiat spray-painted city bridges with friend Al Diaz, and their “SAMO” tag caught the eyes of local artists. He left home before he was 20, selling hand-painted sweatshirts and postcards in Lower Manhattan. Because Basquiat was homeless — sleeping in parks and girlfriends’ apartments — he couldn’t afford proper canvases, and instead transformed found materials, such as old doors and windows, with paint and layered paper. The works vividly juxtaposed a street-art style with forms inspired by Abstract Expressionism.
Basquiat’s first public exhibition was “The Times Square Show” in 1980, a landmark event for artists experimenting with the boundaries between the galleries and the streets, with pieces by Keith Haring, Jenny Holzer, Kenny Scharf and Kiki Smith. His art soon garnered critical acclaim as well as the attention of collectors. Basquiat’s first solo show was at Soho’s Annina Nosei Gallery, in 1982, with another that year at Larry Gagosian Gallery in Los Angeles. His star continued to rise with multiple exhibitions in Europe, a 1983 feature in the Whitney Biennial and inclusion in a 1984 exhibition of painting at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. But he found that racist stereotypes persisted in press coverage of him, even as his profile expanded, and friends contend that he was exploited by collectors and art dealers. He battled a heroin addiction for years, and at the age of 27, Basquiat died from an accidental drug overdose on August 12, 1988.
Although it mainly spanned from 1980 to 1988, Basquiat’s career in visual art involved hundreds of paintings, drawings, sculptures, prints and other works. This included collaborations with Andy Warhol, with whom he created a series of paintings between 1983 and 1985. Basquiat’s art has been exhibited in almost every major art museum in the world, and in 2017 his 1982 Untitled painting was sold for $110.5 million at a Sotheby’s auction.
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2010s Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
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21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
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1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
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1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
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1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
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1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
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1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
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1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
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1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
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1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
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1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
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1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
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21st Century and Contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
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2010s Contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
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Jean-michel Basquiat art for sale on 1stDibs.
Artists Similar to Jean-Michel Basquiat
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022The meaning of Jean-Michel Basquiat's art varied from piece to piece. Generally, the American artist attempted to illustrate dichotomies, such as the experience of the wealthy versus the experience of the poor and the inner self versus the outer self. On 1stDibs, shop a range of Jean-Michel Basquiat art.
- What happened to Basquiat?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 26, 2024What happened to Basquiat was that his career was cut short by his death from an accidental drug overdose on August 12, 1988. Emerging from the New York City street art scene, Jean-Michel Basquiat became one of the most significant artists of the 20th century as he mixed hand-scrawled text, vibrant color, gestural brushwork and themes of social commentary in a prolific output of Neo-Expressionist paintings. Although his pieces always retained the improvisational energy of graffiti, Basquiat used deceptively uncomplicated motifs such as crowns and professional boxers to honor the majesty and power of Black men and place himself in that lineage. Today, Basquiat's art is among the most expensive in the world, with his paintings regularly fetching tens of millions of dollars at auction. On 1stDibs, shop a collection of Jean-Michel Basquiat art.
- Why is Basquiat so famous?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertAugust 8, 2024Basquiat is so famous for a few reasons. First, he was a leading figure in the Neo-Expressionist art movement, and his work went on to inspire many other artists. Secondly, his work captured attention due to its themes, which included racism and colonialism. His more than 100 collaborations with Andy Warhol also increased his notoriety, as did his tragic, unexpected death at the age of 27. The demand for his art has also increased over the years, with his painting Untitled (1982) selling for $110.5 million at auction in 2017. On 1stDibs, find a diverse assortment of Jean-Michel Basquiat art.
- How much is a Basquiat?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertAugust 8, 2024How much a Basquiat is depends on its rarity, history, condition and other factors. In 2024, the artist's painting Untitled (ELMAR), which he created in 1982, sold for $40.2 million at an auction in New York City. During his short career, Jean-Michel Basquiat became known for his Neo-Expressionist paintings and graffiti art. Since his death in 1988, his work has been reproduced on everything from mirrors and other household decorative objects to skateboard desks. To find out the value of a specific Basquiat piece, enlist the help of a certified appraiser or knowledgeable art dealer. Shop a range of Basquiat art and furniture on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022You can see Jean-Michel Basquiat paintings in a number of locations. Some of his work is in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, California, and The Museum of Modern Art in New York, New York. On 1stDibs, find a selection of Jean-Michel Basquiat.