Jean-Michel Basquiat in the 1980s shook the foundations of the established American art world. Some art critics praised him as a fresh new talent that challenged social, racial, and economic hierarchies of the bourgeoisie art world. Others criticized him as a hoax, which was hyped up by the media, but ultimately not a real artist with any skill or insight. His quick rise to stardom and his tragic death made him an instant legend in the international art world.
Basquiat was born in Brooklyn, New York City in 1960 to a Puerto Rican mother and a Haitian father. Due to his mixed-cultural upbringing Basquiat was fluent in French, Spanish, and English. His mother, Matilde, encouraged him at an early age to draw, paint and partake in other creative activities. In 1977, at the age of 17, Basquiat began painting graffiti on the streets of New York. He painted the word “SAMO” all over the city, which more than likely referenced the phrase, “same ol’ shit.” In December of 1978 the Village Voice published an article about the writings. The SAMO project ended with the epitaph SAMO IS DEAD written on the walls of SoHo buildings.
In 1978, Basquiat dropped out of high school, left home, and moved to the city with friends. He made a living by selling T-shirts and stickers and working at Unique Clothing Warehouse on Broadway. He also gained notoriety within the emerging art scene in Manhattan’s East Village. Basquiat also made repeated appearances on Glen O’Brien’s weekly television show TV Party, which featured other trendy pop stars such as Mick Jones, David Byrne, Debbie Harry, and James Chance. This earned him notoriety within the emerging art scene of Manhattan’s East Village.
In the late 1970s, Basquiat started Gray, a Noise and No-Wave band, which played in various nigh clubs such as Max's Kansas City, CBGB, Hurrahs, and the Mudd Club. The name of the band was likely derived from Gray’s Anatomy, a human anatomy textbook widely regarded as a classic work on the subject. Basquiat claimed the text had a large influence on his art. Basquiat also starred in the film, Downtown 81, which featured some of Gray’s rare recordings on its soundtrack.
In June 1980 Basquiat participated in The Times Square Show, a multi-artist exhibition, sponsored by Collaborative Projects Incorporated (Colab). During the next few years, he continued exhibiting his works around New York as well as internationally. On February 10, 1985, Basquiat appeared on the cover of The New York Times Magazine in a feature entitled "New Art, New Money: The Marketing of an American Artist". As Basquiat's international success heightened, his works were shown in solo exhibitions across major European capitals.
By 1982, Basquiat was showing regularly alongside Julian Schnabel, David Salle, Francesco Clemente and Enzo Cucchi, thus becoming part of a group that was later known as the founders of the Neo-expressionist movement. In the fall of 1982 he started dating Madonna, who was then an unknown performer. That same year, Basquiat met Andy Warhol, with whom he collaborated extensively.
By 1984, Basquiat had developed a frequent heroin habit, which had started from his early years living among junkies and street artists in New York's underground. Basquiat died of a heroine and cocaine overdose at his 57 Great Jones Street loft/studio in 1988. After his death, a film biography titled Basquiat was made, directed by Julian Schnabel, with actor Jeffrey Wright playing Basquiat.
