Jean-Michel Basquiat’s art focused on the dichotomies of life : wealth versus poverty , inclusion and exclusion- to name but a couple of concepts.
His art reflected his rich cultural background, born in New York City in 1960 to parents of Haitian and Puerto Rican lineage.
Based in the Lower East Side of NYC he achieved noteriety in the late 70’s and 80’s at a time when punk , rap , hip-hop and street art were all coming together.
He caught the attention of Andy Warhol and dated a pre-fame Madonna whom he predicted would become a massive star.
His art had a graffiti quality that would assemble an array of conflicting ideas and morals and present them.Sometimes the message would be explicit - at other times it would be abstract and be left to the viewers imagination.
Keenly aware of the ongoing struggle for civil rights and the baked in racism in the US - his art explored the legacy of post colonial slavery and segregation - whilst celebrating Black art and culture at the same time.
The irony of being courted by the white fine art cultural elite did not go unnoticed by him.
He died tragically young at 27 in 1988 to a heroin overdose.
However his legacy endures and is considered ground breaking - as he remains as relevant today as he was then.
His paintings continue to sell for vast sums and “Untitled”, a Basquiat from 1982, sold for $110.5 million.
More info here: