Jean-Michel Basquiat is one of the most well-known Black artists in the modern era. Born Dec. 22, 1960, to a Haitian-American father and Puerto Rican mother, the Brooklyn native got his start as a street artist before becoming a star in the art world, hanging with the likes of Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Madonna (who he had a brief relationship with.)
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The more than 1,500 drawings and 600 paintings he created throughout his career were heavily influenced by his heritage and his feelings about the underrepresentation of Black people in art.
He was so ahead of his time, genius almost,” his sister, Lisane Basquiat, told ABC 7 News NY. “He was able to put on canvas not only the paintings, but also his thoughts. He shared information about the history of the world, and his own personal history, his own roots.”
Although his life and his career were tragically cut short on Aug. 12, 1988, when he died of a drug overdose at age 27, Basquiat’s legacy lives on through a new generation of artists and musicians he’s inspired, including Alvaro Barrington and Jay-Z.
In honor of what would have been his 65th birthday, we’re looking at some of the most fascinating facts about artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
He Was Self-Taught
Basquiat began cultivating his love of art at a young age, often using paper his father brought home from his accounting job to draw his favorite cartoon characters. His mother encouraged his creativity by taking him to museums around New York City, including The Brooklyn Museum and The Museum of Modern Art.
He found inspiration for his work in books, including Henry Dreyfuss’ “Symbol Sourcebook” and “Flash of the Spirit,” a book about African art and philosophy by Robert Farris Thompson.
An Accident Changed His Life
When he was 9 years old, Basquiat was hit by a car while playing basketball in the street. He spent a month in the hospital being treated for his injuries, during which he memorized a copy of “Gray’s Anatomy” that his mother gave him. You can see the influence in many of his paintings and drawings.
He Got His Start On The Streets
Basquiat first got public attention for the his work as a graffiti artist. He and his high school friend Al Diaz tagged buildings around Lower Manhattan with images that were critical of racism and other societal ills using SAMO, an acronym for “Same Old Sh*t.” In 1980, Diaz and Basquiat fell out personally and professionally. Basquiat announced the end of their artistic partnership, writing “SAMO IS DEAD” on buildings around the city.
Andy Warhol
In the early 1980s, Basquiat formed an unlikely friendship with legendary pop artist Andy Warhol. The pair were introduced by art dealer Bruno Bischofberger, who asked Warhol to do a portrait of the young, Black artist.
Basquiat made an instant impression on Warhol, transforming a Polaroid picture of the two of them together into a painting in under two hours.
“I’m really jealous,” Bischofberger remembers Warhol saying. “He is faster than me.”
Although Warhol was a mentor and friend to Basquiat, he says the relationship was mutually beneficial, as Basquiat’s influence led him to paint more by hand than the silkscreen printing process he was best known for.
“Jean-Michel got me into painting differently,” Warhol once wrote.
The Significance of The Crown
One of the unique features of Basquiat’s most well-known works is the three-pointed crown. His raw, less-than-perfect interpretation was a political statement meant to redefine traditional symbols of royalty.
He’s in the Same League as Pablo Picasso
Although Jean-Michel Basquiat is known as a star in the art world, his work didn’t always command the same hefty price tags it does today. He sold his first painting, “Cadillac Moon,” to singer Debbie Harry in 1981 for $200. But more than four decades later, one of his paintings made history.
In 2017, a Japanese billionaire bought Basquiat’s 1982 painting “Untitled” for $110.5 million at a Sotheby’s auction.
That unbelievable transaction makes Basquiat’s painting one of the most expensive to be sold at auction, with only 10 other works selling for more than $100 million.
“He’s now in the same league as Francis Bacon and Pablo Picasso,” art dealer Jeffrey Deitch told The New York Times.
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