- Self-taught / City-as-School, Manhattan
- Painting
- Drawing
- Collage
Jean-Michel Basquiat emerged from late-1970s downtown New York, first becoming visible through the SAMO text interventions he made with Al Diaz. By 1981 he had moved rapidly into painting and became one of the defining figures of the early-1980s New York art world. His canvases combine anatomy, language, diagrams, historical references, jazz, Black cultural figures and repeated symbols such as crowns. His brief career was extraordinarily productive and established a visual language that continues to shape contemporary painting.
Painting; drawing; mixed media; collage
Gallery Representation
Objects
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Head
1982-83
An official Louisiana exhibition poster kept in circulation by the museum's own shop.
Artist Films
Jean-Michel Basquiat: Drawings Between Life and Death
Louisiana Channel45 minOfficial source ↗ (opens in a new window)
Human Interest: Mathew Cerletty on Jean-Michel Basquiat
Whitney Museum of American ArtOfficial source ↗ (opens in a new window)
Major Works
- 1981Untitled (Head) →Acrylic, oilstick and mixed media on canvasThe Broad
- 1982Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump →Acrylic and oilstick on canvasPrivate collection
- 1982Untitled →Acrylic, spray paint and oilstick on canvasPrivate collection
- 1982Dustheads →Acrylic, oilstick, enamel and spray paint on canvasPrivate collection
- 1983Horn Players →Acrylic and oilstick on three canvas panelsThe Broad
- 1983Hollywood Africans →Acrylic and crayon on canvasWhitney Museum of American Art
- 1984Flexible →Acrylic and oilstick on wood slat fencingPrivate collection
- 1982Warrior →Acrylic and oilstick on wood panelPrivate collection
- 1982Charles the First →Acrylic and crayon on canvasPrivate collection
- 1988Riding with Death →Acrylic and crayon on canvasPrivate collection
Museums & Public Collections
Related Artists
Selected Exhibitions
- 1981 New York/New Wave, MoMA PS1Major exhibition / biennial / historical milestonegroup
- 1982 Documenta 7Major exhibition / biennial / historical milestonegroup
- 1992 Jean-Michel Basquiat, Whitney MuseumMajor exhibition / biennial / historical milestonegroup
- 2017 Basquiat: Boom for Real, BarbicanMajor exhibition / biennial / historical milestonegroup
- 2018 Fondation Louis Vuitton retrospectiveMajor exhibition / biennial / historical milestonegroup
Interviews & Writing
- Museum-quality video search →RESEARCH QUEUEvideo