Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist born in Brooklyn, New York, Dec. 22, 1960. He rose to success throughout the 1980s during the neo-Expressionism movement, though he had a relatively short career, with his death in 1988 at age 27.
As a child, Basquiat enjoyed making cartoon-like drawings that were inspired by cars, comics, and Alfred Hitchcock movies. He also developed an interest in the human body after his mother gifted him a copy of “Gray’s Anatomy,” which was later integrated into his work.
During the mid-1970s, Basquiat began to gain local recognition as a graffiti artist who, alongside artist Al Diaz, used a fictional character named SAMO as a way of “letting off steam.” He also began to sell hand-painted postcards and T-shirts, which led him to meet a future friend and fellow artist, Andy Warhol.
The 1980s and Basquiat’s early twenties marked the beginning of his more widespread notoriety. In June 1980, Basquiat’s first public display of art was in the “Times Square Show.” In 1981, he sold his first painting, “Cadillac Moon.” By 1982, he became the youngest-ever artist to take part in documenta 7, a contemporary art exhibition in Kassel, Germany. From this point on, he became a global and world-renowned artist.
Basquiat’s work touched upon themes of identity, race and politics. He incorporated references to African masks, Caribbean iconography and African-American cultural figures, along with text to accompany the paintings. One notable example of his his work is “Irony Of Negro Policeman, which addresses the complex relationship between Black Americans and law enforcement.
Another work, “Obnoxious Liberals,” criticizes rich liberals who claim to be in support of progressive movements while reaping the benefits of capitalism. In the piece, a pig wearing clothes with dollar signs drawn on it represents society’s upper class.
Basquiat’s work also shows the perpetual relevance of issues within marginalized communities that are still alive today, criticizing racial biases, capitalism and the bastardization of the Black celebrity.
“I don’t think about art while I work,” Basquiat said. “I try to think about life.”
