The Passion of Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat – “Phooey”
“I don’t think about art when I’m working. I try to think about life.”— Jean-Michel Basquiat
More than perhaps any other artist of the 20th century, the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat continues to burn with urgency. It remains relevant, vital, undiminished by the decades since his passing. His life, though brief, encompassed the full arc of an artist who was vividly alive and embedded in the cultural moment. But like all masters, his work transformed the timely into the timeless.
He went from outlaw street artist to the darling of New York’s galleries. He crossed paths with the famous — selling his first painting to Deborah Harry of Blondie, dating Madonna, and working with none other than Andy Warhol.
But at the age of 27, he was dead. The work, however, lives on to this day. And his acceptance at the highest levels of the art world continues to grow. In 2017, his 1982 painting Untitled sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $110.5 million — one of the highest ever prices for a painting.
Basquiat’s place in the pantheon of great artists is firmly set. And if we take a look at his extraordinary life, we find the roots of his powerful themes and style. He interrogated the major questions of American life: race and class. But he did so with an exuberance and emotional power that few have ever attained.
Early Life and SAMO
Basquiat’s family lived in Park Slope, Brooklyn. His father was a Haitian immigrant; his mother, a lifelong Brooklynite. Basquiat’s love of art is no doubt due to the influence of his mother Matilde. She exposed him to the amazing works on offer in New York City, and she encouraged him to explore creativity.
While only seven, Basquiat was severely injured when a car hit him in the street. While recovering in the hospital, Matilde gave him an edition of Gray’s Anatomy. The classic medical text was filled with in-depth illustrations of the human body — an influence that would go on to impact his career.
As a teenager, Basquiat befriended Al Diaz at school, and the two set out to become graffiti artists. The year was 1978. They tagged all around Lower Manhattan under the mysterious name of SAMO. Their style included poetic verse and tongue-in-cheek sloganeering. The duo gained local press and their reputation grew.
But by 1980, Diaz and Basquiat no longer wanted to work together, and the famous phrase “SAMO IS DEAD” could be