Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960 - 1988) born in Brooklyn, New York. He first attracted attention for his graffiti under the name "SAMO" in New York City. He sold sweatshirts and postcards featuring his artwork on the streets before his painting career took off. He collaborated with Andy Warhol in the mid-1980s, which resulted in a show of their work.
With a Haitian-American father and a Puerto Rican mother, Basquiat's diverse cultural heritage was one of his many sources of inspiration. A self-taught artist, Basquiat began drawing at an early age on sheets of paper his father, an accountant, brought home from the office. As he delved deeper into his creative side, his mother strongly encouraged to pursue artistic talents.
Basquiat first attracted attention for his graffiti in New York City in the late 1970s, under the name "SAMO." Working with a close friend, he tagged subway trains and Manhattan buildings with cryptic aphorisms. In 1977, Basquiat quit high school a year before he was slated to graduate. To make ends meet, he sold sweatshirts and postcards featuring his artwork on the streets of his native New York.
Three years of struggle gave way to fame in 1980, when his work was featured in a group show. His work and style received critical acclaim for the fusion of words, symbols, stick figures, and animals. Soon, his paintings came to be adored by an art loving public that had no problem paying as much as $50,000 for a Basquiat original.
In the mid 1980s, Basquiat collaborated with famed pop artist Andy Warhol, which resulted in a show of their work that featured a series of corporate logos and cartoon characters. On his own, Basquiat continued to exhibit around the country and the world. In 1986, he traveled to Africa for a show in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. That same year, the 25-year-old exhibited nearly 60 paintings at the Kestner-Gesellschaft Gallery in Hanover, Germany—becoming the youngest artist to ever showcase his work there.
As his popularity soared, so did Basquiat's personal problems. By the mid-1980s, friends became increasingly concerned by his excessive drug use. He became paranoid and isolated himself from the world around him for long stretches. Desperate to kick a heroin addiction, he left New York for Hawaii in 1988, returning a few months later and claiming to be sober.
Sadly, he wasn't. Basquiat died of a drug overdose on August 12, 1988, in New York City. He was 27 years old. Although his art career was brief, Jean-Michel Basquiat has been credited with bringing the African-American and Latino experience in the elite art world.
After his death, the artist was back in the spotlight in May 2017 when a Japanese billionaire bought “Untitled,” a 1982 painting of a skull, for $110.5 million at a Sotheby’s auction. The sale set a records for the highest price for a work by an American artist and for an artwork created after 1980. It was also the highest price for a painting by Basquiat and by a black artist
With a Haitian-American father and a Puerto Rican mother, Basquiat's diverse cultural heritage was one of his many sources of inspiration. A self-taught artist, Basquiat began drawing at an early age on sheets of paper his father, an accountant, brought home from the office. As he delved deeper into his creative side, his mother strongly encouraged to pursue artistic talents.
Basquiat first attracted attention for his graffiti in New York City in the late 1970s, under the name "SAMO." Working with a close friend, he tagged subway trains and Manhattan buildings with cryptic aphorisms. In 1977, Basquiat quit high school a year before he was slated to graduate. To make ends meet, he sold sweatshirts and postcards featuring his artwork on the streets of his native New York.
Three years of struggle gave way to fame in 1980, when his work was featured in a group show. His work and style received critical acclaim for the fusion of words, symbols, stick figures, and animals. Soon, his paintings came to be adored by an art loving public that had no problem paying as much as $50,000 for a Basquiat original.
In the mid 1980s, Basquiat collaborated with famed pop artist Andy Warhol, which resulted in a show of their work that featured a series of corporate logos and cartoon characters. On his own, Basquiat continued to exhibit around the country and the world. In 1986, he traveled to Africa for a show in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. That same year, the 25-year-old exhibited nearly 60 paintings at the Kestner-Gesellschaft Gallery in Hanover, Germany—becoming the youngest artist to ever showcase his work there.
As his popularity soared, so did Basquiat's personal problems. By the mid-1980s, friends became increasingly concerned by his excessive drug use. He became paranoid and isolated himself from the world around him for long stretches. Desperate to kick a heroin addiction, he left New York for Hawaii in 1988, returning a few months later and claiming to be sober.
Sadly, he wasn't. Basquiat died of a drug overdose on August 12, 1988, in New York City. He was 27 years old. Although his art career was brief, Jean-Michel Basquiat has been credited with bringing the African-American and Latino experience in the elite art world.
After his death, the artist was back in the spotlight in May 2017 when a Japanese billionaire bought “Untitled,” a 1982 painting of a skull, for $110.5 million at a Sotheby’s auction. The sale set a records for the highest price for a work by an American artist and for an artwork created after 1980. It was also the highest price for a painting by Basquiat and by a black artist
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| Mr Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1982, “Untitled,” was sold for $110.5 million at a Sotheby’s auction , May b2017 © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1980, Untitled © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1980, Untitled © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1981, God-law © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1981, Jimmy best © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1981, Net weight © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1981, Per capita © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1981, Poison oasis © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1981, Red man © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1981, Rice and chicken © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1981,Bird on Money © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1982, All colored cast part III © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1982, Baby boom © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1982, Baptism © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1982, Boxer © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1982, Boy and dog in a johnnypump © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1982, Dos Cabezas © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1982, Dustheads © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1982, Jawbone of an ass © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1982, Native carrying some guns, bibles, amorites on safari © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1982, Philistines © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1982, Piscine versus the best hotels © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1982, Price of gasoline in the third world © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1982, Profit I © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1982, Self-portrait © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1982, Six crimee © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1982, Two heads on gold © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1983, 50 Cent Piece © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1983, Ascent © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1983, Bishop © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1983, Crown © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1983, Eyes and eggs © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1983, Formless © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1983, King Alphonso © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1983, La Colomba © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1983, Monticello © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1983, The Nile © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1983, Unbleached titanium © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1984, Earth © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1984, Flexible © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1984, Glenn © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1984, Trumpet © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1984, Untitled (Zenith-½) © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1985, Now is the time © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1986, Jim Crow © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1987, Eroica © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1987, Gravestone © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1987, Victor © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1988, Riding with death © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
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| 1988, The dingoes that park their brains with their gum © Copyright 2017 The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
