The following is my American Art History term paper from spring term. I could Have written 20+ pages about Jean-Michel Basquiat, but given the time frame I had to work in, I chose to fulfill the assignment requirements, and not much more. I hope you find the paper informative and interesting, if not as flush with detail as this incredible artist deserved. Thanks for reading!
BasquiatEarly Years
Jean-Michel Basquiat joined the world in Brooklyn, New York, December 22, 1960, the child of Haitian-born Gerard Basquiat, and Matilde (Andrades) Basquiat, who was born in Brooklyn to Puerto Rican immigrant parents. He had 2 younger sisters, Lisane, born in 1964, and Jeanine, born 1967.
From a very early age, Jean-Michel showed an interest in and a talent for art. He often drew and sketched alongside his mother, who had a passion for fashion design and drawing. They often visited the Brooklyn Museum of Modern Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Matilde did all she could to support, develop, and encourage her son’s talent and interest in the arts.
When he was just 7 years old, Jean-Michel teamed up with a friend from school to create a children’s book. It was written by Jean-Michel, and illustrated by both boys.
By the age of eight, Jean-Michel was fluent in 3 languages: English, French, and Spanish. He later learned German and Italian.
In May of 1968, Basquiat was hit by a car while playing ball in the street. He broke his arm and required multiple surgeries for internal injuries. He eventually had to have his spleen removed. While in the hospital, his mother gave him a copy of Gray’s Anatomy to help him understand what was happening and give him something to keep busy. The impression this made on him was profound, and the lingering effects can be seen in works throughout his career. Many of his works include anatomical drawings and medical terms.
Adolescent Years
In 1977, Jean-Michel dropped out of high school, left his parents’ Brooklyn home and moved to Lower Manhattan. “Papa,” he said, “I’m going to be famous.” A dream declared.
In the beginning, he was essentially homeless, supporting himself by selling postcards and t-shirts he had painted, panhandling, and couch hopping from one friend’s apartment to the next. He was also well loved by the ladies, and was known to have several girlfriends (sometimes at the same time) that would help him to feed and clothe himself.
In an interview, Jean-Michel recalls this time with a sense of sad nostalgia. “I walked for days and days without sleeping, living like a bum, drinking wine with winos, panhandling. I thought I would be a bum forever.”
Before leaving home, Basquiat met Al Diaz, a fellow graffiti artist, and they would later collaborate on the ‘SAMO©’ project. SAMO© is believed to stand for ‘SAMe Old shit’ by some, but this continues to be debated. In 1976, graffiti bearing the SAMO© tag began to appear around the streets of Manhattan. Poems, riddles, and multiple choice questions poked fun at the ‘problems’ of the masses, and promoted the panacea ‘drug’ SAMO©. One SAMO© tag read, “SAMO© as an end to mindwash religion, nowhere politics, and bogus philosophy.” SAMO© was well known around the city by 1978. The Village Voice even included an article about the artwork in a journal published the same year.
The SAMO© series ended in late 1979, with the words ‘SAMO© is DEAD’ appearing in multiple locations around the city.
The Breakthrough and the Career
In June of 1980, Basquiat's art was publicly exhibited for the first time in a show sponsored by Colab (Collaborative Projects Incorporated) along with the work of Jenny Holzer, Lee Quinones, Kenny Scharf, Kiki Smith, Robin Winters, John Ahearn, Jane Dickson, Mike Glier, Mimi Gross, and David Hammons. The show – sometimes called the ‘Times Square Show’ – garnered much attention from the art world, and Basquiat’s work was an instant ‘hit’ with art critics, artists, and art dealers.
I don’t think this came as much of a surprise to Jean-Michel, who had always been fascinated by fame, and had once said of himself, “Since I was seventeen, I thought I might be a star. I had a romantic feeling of how people had become famous.”
Jean-Michel was then swept up almost immediately into a whirlwind of gallery shows, interviews, and photo shoots. He truly was an ‘overnight success’ and everyone wanted a piece of him. Over the next year or so, Basquiat continued to exhibit his work around New York City and in Europe, participating in shows alongside contemporaries like Keith Haring and Barbara Kruger.
In December of 1981, poet and artist Rene Ricard published the first major article on Basquiat entitled "The Radiant Child" in the magazine ArtForum. This was the breakthrough that shot him from notoriety within the art world, to flat-out superstardom and a much wider audience.
In late 1981, he joined the Annina Nosei gallery in SoHo, Manhattan. By 1982, Basquiat was showing regularly alongside Julian Schnabel, David Salle, Francesco Clemente and Enzo Cucchi, involved with the Neo-expressionist movement. He was represented in Los Angeles, California by the Larry Gagosian gallery, and throughout Europe by Bruno Bischofberger. He briefly dated then-aspiring performer Madonna in late 1982. That same year, Basquiat also worked briefly with musician and artist David Bowie.
Basquiat was known for his extravagance. He often painted in Armani suits, and would appear in public in these same paint-splattered $1,000 suits. He would buy expensive gourmet foods, and let them spoil in his refrigerator. He would bring gourmet pastries to gallery shows, take a bite, then throw them on the floor. But perhaps his most expensive habit was heroin. He was widely known as a user, and never tried to hide it. Those close to him often became concerned and tried to get him to kick, but the few times he got clean, it was short-lived.
In 1983, Basquiat met Andy Warhol, and the two became fast friends. They had lengthy discussions about things like white patrons buying black art, the pros and cons of segregation and integration, and whether or not art should be judged differently based on the artist’s ethnic perspective. They also collaborated on several paintings, none of which were received very warmly by critics.
The Art
Jean-Michel’s work is known for it’s amalgamation of racial and political themes with humor, a sense of the plight of the every-man, the cry to awaken from our national (and sometimes global) apathy, and sometimes, a re-examination of the work of other artists.
He famously ‘retold the tale’ of Mona Lisa, painting her in his unique childish, scribbled style, with details of a one dollar bill in the background. It was this very child-like style that captured the attention of art critics and dealers. Basquiat often gripped his paintbrush or paintstick like a young child would. He wanted to capture both the child-like wonder and the fears and joys we all experience in childhood. He would sometimes use crayons or chalk in his work as well, to try to tap into his inner child. But, as he famously said, “Believe it or not, I can actually draw!”
Most of Basquiat’s work features written text. He would often repeat the same word several times within the same piece, sometimes crossing them out, or crossing out individual letters within the words. He said he did this intentionally, to call more attention to the words or letters that were crossed out.
Crowns also became a recurring theme in his work, as well as becoming his personal trademark. He said the crown stood for the holiness and royalty of all men. That all people were kings or queens in their own life, and that we should all celebrate ourselves. The crown also stood as a symbol of the triumph of the black man over slavery. It was a reminder that many slaves had been important people to their tribes in Africa before capture, and the struggle of the race to recapture that sense of importance after slavery ended.
The End
When his great friend, Andy Warhol, died on February 22, 1987, it took a great toll on Jean-Michel. He became somewhat of a recluse, and began using even more heroin. In early 1988, he attempted to kick his heroin habit. He left the tempting world of New York behind and retreated to his ranch in Hawaii.
He came back to New York in June of ’88. He claimed he was drug-free, and many said he seemed to be happier and calmer than they had ever seen him.
On August 12, 1988, Jean-Michel Basquiat died as a result of a heroin overdose. As his one-time girlfriend Madonna once said of him, “He was too fragile for this world.”
Conclusion
I’m sure there is much more to write about Basquiat. Although his candle was snuffed out much too soon, his light shone brightly. He left a mark not only on the art world, but in the hearts of all of those (like myself) that have been inspired by him.
Time constraints did not allow me to paint as complete a picture of the man as I’d have liked to. Before I began writing this paper, I thought I knew quite a lot about JMB. But the more research I did for the paper, the more I learned, and the more I became aware of just how little I knew about him. There is just so much to know. He made quite an impact in this world, for a man who only lived 27 years.
