About the Artist
Jean-Michel Basquiat was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1960. His unique heritage, a mother of Puerto Rican background and a father who was a Haitian immigrant, contributed to his fluency in French, Spanish, and English. Encouraged by his mother, Basquiat displayed a talent for art early in his childhood, attending museum exhibitions and even enrolling as a Junior Member of the Brooklyn Museum by the age of six. The sinewy, linear illustrations of this medical text, combined with the energy of graphic novels, would later profoundly inform his distinct, mature style. An art movement legend and close associate of Andy Warhol and Keith Haring who along with Basquiat created the most famous paintings of the 60's and 70's.
By his teens, Basquiat was an unconventional runaway, dropping out of high school and navigating the vibrant, chaotic environment of New York City. This period saw him rise from a homeless graffiti artist to an international art star. His style is a raw, powerful blend of graffiti, Neo-Expressionism, and tribal symbolism, creating a frenetic energy that captured the anxieties of contemporary life. He famously utilized crowns, skulls, stick figures, and text fragments to explore themes of race, class, and social justice.
Our collection features essential artwork from this extraordinary figure, including foundational art and defining paintings. Though his career was tragically short, Basquiat’s impact remains immense; he produced famous paintings that stand as monuments to his talent and the era’s intensity. To own a Basquiat is to own a piece of a legacy that forged a connection between the downtown street scene and the uptown gallery, making him one of the most revered artists of the 20th century.