Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat (December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American painter whose work fused graffiti-derived imagery with neo-expressionist painting to address race, class, and power. He first gained attention in New York City’s downtown scene in the late 1970s under the pseudonym SAMO, before transitioning to large-scale canvases in the early 1980s.

Basquiat’s paintings are noted for their raw brushwork, layered text, and a repertoire of recurring motifs, including crowns, skulls, and symbolic figures. His imagery draws on a wide range of sources, from African and Caribbean cultural history to jazz and street culture, often layering social commentary with exuberant color. The works frequently juxtapose vulnerability with violence and critique systems of governance, colonialism, and economic inequality.

In the early 1980s Basquiat moved from the graffiti world into the gallery space, becoming a prominent figure in the New York art scene. He worked independently and, in the mid-1980s, collaborated with Andy Warhol, a relationship that heightened public attention and debate about originality, commerce, and authorship in contemporary art. His career was prolific but relatively short; Basquiat died in 1988 from AIDS-related illness at the age of 27.

Basquiat’s legacy endures in his influence on contemporary painting, street art, and the discourse around representation and race in art. His works are held in major public collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tate Modern, and Centre Pompidou.