Jean-Michel Basquiat is arguably the greatest American artist since Andy Warhol. Warhol made art out of the consumerism that dominates American life and increasingly the life of the whole 'Western' world. Basquiat's art reflects something different - the mindset of those living in the midst of that world, and how information and misinformation overload affects their thinking. Basquiat was a human cultural aggregator, soaking up what was thrown at him and everyone else by the giant commercialised political-cultural-ideological complex that is modern America. And he threw it back as art.
An overview of Basquiat's life
Early life
Born in Brooklyn in 1960 to a Haitian-American father and Puerto Rican mother, Basquiat's multicultural background profoundly influenced his artistic vision. His early exposure to multiple languages and cultures created a foundation for the multilayered symbolism that would characterize his mature work.
Basquiat's mother would take him to art museums in Manhattan, where he developed an early appreciation for art history. A car accident at age seven resulted in a fractured skull, leading to a prolonged hospital stay during which his mother gave him a copy of Gray's Anatomy. This book would later become a significant source of imagery in his artwork. In the art galleries he became fascinated by the power of the Kings and Queens in classical paintings, a theme that would recur in his own work, and lead to his famous crown moniker.
Basquiat was an errant school pupil and rebel, from a middle class background in New York. He inherited his parents languages, speaking both French and English. He was very intelligent, though not able to channel this into his education; he was expelled from some of the schools he attended. After dropping out of high school, he drifted into bohemian company in downtown New York and became a part of the graffiti duo SAMO© (Same Old Shit), spray-painting cryptic, poetic messages and multiple choice questions throughout lower Manhattan in the late 1970s. In 1980 the duo fell out and went their separate ways.
High Art
Basquiat moved from street graffiti to handmade postcards and acrylic paintings and audaciously sold a postcard to Andy Warhol in a restaurant in 1979. His graffiti past gave him a certain 'street credibility' that other artists, from more conventional and privileged backgrounds, did not have. His up to the minute taste in music, fashion and literature also enabled him to navigate the New York art scene with its clever, hip and cultured people. He also lived at a time when other black artists in music, such as Michael Jackson and Prince, were becoming more mainstream, and there was a feeling that a celebrated black visual artist was long overdue. Black creativity in fine art had been ignored for too long.
Early admirers of Basquiat talked of being shocked when they first saw his work. It was brash, blunt, colourful, unashamedly ethnic and streetwise. It also had an intelligent narrative behind it.
Rise to fame
From early 1981 Basquiat was being shown in non-mainstream galleries and exhibitions in New York and then Europe. He soon had a dealer, Annina Nosei, who owned a gallery in Soho New York. He became famous in art circles very quickly, with his first solo show in 1982. This was followed by more appearances in major art shows in America and Europe. He was an alt-culture celebrity by the mid 1980s and associated with Andy Warhol and the 'in' set of creative pop celebrities in New York - Madonna, Debbie Harry and others. He appeared in Blondie's 'Rapture' video for the smash hit single of the same name. He had a joint exhibition with Andy Warhol in 1984.
Much to his annoyance, the American art establishment never fully warmed to Basquiat's work. They saw it as too slapstick and amateurish compared to the calculated minimalism which was fashionable in the 1980s. Much of 1980s American art had become intellectual and corporate orientated. Basquiat, not formally educated to a high level, took a more direct approach with his work. He spared the nuance and made direct statements. Arguably New York in the 1980s, in the Reagan era, was not a place for nuance. Also arguably Basquiat's work brought art back to the beating pulse of society, where many thought it had lost its way in - well, the 1970s?
Disillusionment
Basquiat had a dream career and made himself a young millionaire selling his work to wealthy collectors, and hipsters such as Mick Jagger. Yet despite his fame, and critical and financial success in the international art world, he became disillusioned with art and quarrelled with his art dealers. He also fell out with Andy Warhol. He talked about leaving art and becoming a writer.
Everyone who knew him agrees that Basquiat was very sensitive, very intelligent, wary of the cultural establishment, and of the whole establishment, period. He often reacted very strongly to what he perceived as racial insults. On one occasion some white collectors brought a box of southern fried chicken to his studio. He ordered them to leave and as they did so, poured the food over them from an upper window. From the video interviews of the time it is obvious that he was a deep and tricky character.
Tragic death
Basquiat had always enjoyed smoking marijuana at hip parties. Certainly by his mid twenties he had graduated from marijuana to heroin and began to take the latter drug regularly. His late paintings depict someone - maybe himself - being ridden by a skeletal avenger. He died, aged just 27, of a heroin overdose in 1988. His sad and untimely death came as a shock to everyone.
Perhaps Baquiat's deep suspicion of the American social and economic system, combined with his personal sensitivity, was a heavy load to bear. The pressure of fame and fortune got to Jean Michelle Basquiat, as it has done to many other celebrities.
Aftermath
Basquiat's death from a heroin overdose in 1988 cut short one of the most promising careers in contemporary art. The tragic end to his story has often overshadowed serious consideration of his artistic achievements, with media narratives focusing on his drug use and tumultuous personal life rather than his revolutionary contributions to art.
Basquiat's impact on American art has been profound. He has been name checked by musicians, writers, actors and since his death is even more collected, by wealthy public figures such as sportsmen and entrepreneurs. Some artists and graphic designers have emulated his style - the simple figures, flat areas of colour and use of contemporary phrases written into his paintings. His work is of course very much the work of a black artist and reflects his experiences - good and bad - as a black man. There is also the mindset of an outsider and indeed a thinker who looked impartially at the culture and institutions around him.
In fine art auctions some of Basquiat's paintings have sold for tens of millions of dollars.
Basquiat's Art
SAMO© Period 1978-1980
Basquiat joined forces with Al Diaz in 1977 to create the graffiti pseudonym "SAMO©" (Same Old Shit). Together, anonymously, they produced enigmatic and poetic graffiti messages across Lower Manhattan, particularly in the East Village. These early works combined text and imagery to critique consumerism, religion, and societal norms. The SAMO© graffiti served as a form of social commentary, challenging viewers to question established beliefs and conventions.
An example is shown below:
SAMO©...4 THE SO-CALLED AVANT-GARDE SAMO AS AN ALTERNATIVE 2 PLAYING ART WITH THE 'RADICAL CHIC' SECT ON DADDY'S $ FUNDS
Their multiple choice questions were often quite funny:
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS OMNIPRESENT? [ ] LEE HARVEY OSWALD [ ] COCA-COLA LOGO [ ] GENERAL MELONRY [ ] SAMO©...
Soon SAMO were being reported on by The Village Voice magazine. Eventually Basquiat, wearing a mohican haircut, revealed himself as SAMO. The duo had fallen out and their partnership dissolved.
Fine Art Period
After the SAMO period Basquiat began painting in a variety of formats including large acrylics on canvas, and began to attract attention.
Mature Artistic Style and Themes
By 1981 Basquiat was painting in acrylics in his recognisable style, which has been described as 'Neo-Expressionist'. The paintings were quickly executed in a free semi-improvised way often leaving drips of paint on the canvases, and areas of paint to wash over others. He did not in general paint detail. He used acrylics as they are ideal for quick execution. Each painting had a theme and was self-contained featuring what was necessary to express his ideas on that theme.
Latterly Basquiat has been called the Crown Prince of Neo-Expressionism.
Use of symbols, text, and imagery
Basquiat combined bold colour, composition, text and symbols in such a way that his style is instantly recognisable and unique. The overall impression of chaos perhaps reflects what he found in the world as a young man in 1980s New York, alive with conflicting cultural narratives and lifestyles, with no consensus about the present or the future.
The same symbols appear repeatedly in Basquiat's paintings. The simplified crown motif crown has posthumously become his signature and commercial brand. He seems to see it as a statement of power and quality, and his reverence for it apparently came from childhood visits to New York's art galleries, full of paintings of European royalty and aristocracy. These works made a big impression on him and his childhood friend 'High Five Freddie'. His way of painting black faces is also unique and instantly identifiable. The Crown, copyright symbols, and dollar signs appear throughout his work as commentary on who holds power in modern corporate capitalism, and how legal devices are used to own art and culture.
Basquiat was an intelligent man who often read intellectual books. When he became disillusioned with art he even talked about becoming a writer. In his paintings text was used to emphasise the visuals and often contained slogans from politics, advertising and popular culture. Sometimes the text was presented in such a way as to be ironic, or even sarcastic. Basquiat liked to play with opposites such as primitivism and sophistication, or 'high' 'fine' art and 'low' street graffiti culture. His paintings frequently include crossed-out text that cleverly calls into question the narratives he has included. Is he acknowledging pluralism here? Basquiat's text often features often including lists (a hangover from his SAMO days), diagrams, and seemingly unrelated or opposed words. Claude Levi-Strauss would no doubt have seen binary oppositions in his work. This fragmented and chaotic language mirrors a young creative mind and also reflects how information is incorporated or mis-incorporated into various narratives, dominant or otherwise.
Imagery for basquiat was very direct, pared down to form and colour, and lacked subtlety. It presents a direct message.
Exploration of race, power, and inequality
Basquiat was acutely aware of the issues of race and inequality which characterised the lives of black Americans. He often seemed to concentrate his art on narratives which might make sense to prosperous Americans but which seemed hollow or even insulting to disadvantaged Americans, especially those who suffered racial discrimination. He confronted racism, police mistreatment of the disadvantaged and the whole ideology that builds and maintains inequality.
Basquiat confronted racism and celebrated black achievement by featuring prominent black musicians, athletes, writers and using distinctive neo-African diaspora imagery drawn from his ethnic roots in Haiti. Often oppression of black people featured directly in his paintings.
Critiques of capitalism and consumer culture
Basquiat was not a political ideologist or Marxist, nor probably even an anarchist. He seemed basically content with the capitalist system he was immersed in and became a component of, like most of the rest of us. He did however feature and criticise, in his paintings, the hyper materialism of 1980s America. He had no coherent ideology of what to replace that culture with, but he clearly felt that he was trapped in unfriendly territory.
Inner turmoil
Many of Basquiat's works contain autobiographical elements reflecting his inner struggles with identity, fame, and later drug addiction.
Themes of Identity and Social Commentary
Race and racism permeate Basquiat's work, but not as simple political slogans, and indeed he never ventured into open politics. Instead, he created complex meditations on Black identity in America, drawing connections between historical oppression and contemporary struggles. Paintings like 'Irony of Negro Policeman' and 'Hollywood Africans' directly confronted stereotypes and the commodification of Black culture, while works such as 'Glenn' and 'Famous Negro Athletes' celebrated Black achievement and resilience.
The artist's treatment of historical figures reveals his sophisticated understanding of how narratives are constructed and controlled. His portraits of Black heroes from jazz musicians like Charlie Parker to athletes like Muhammad Ali served to reclaim and celebrate figures often marginalized in mainstream historical accounts. These works function as both artistic tributes and acts of historical correction.
Basquiat's exploration of colonialism and its ongoing effects appears throughout his work. References to slavery, exploitation, and cultural appropriation emerge through symbolic imagery and pointed textual references. The recurring motif of crowns placed on Black figures suggests both the dignity inherent in African heritage and the irony of seeking recognition within systems that historically denied Black humanity.
The Intersection of High and Low Culture
One of Basquiat's most significant contributions to contemporary art was his seamless integration of 'high' and 'low' cultural references. His paintings might include allusions to Leonardo da Vinci alongside references to cartoon characters, anatomical diagrams next to hip-hop lyrics. This approach reflected his belief that all cultural forms possessed validity and power.
Jazz and hip-hop music profoundly influenced both the content and rhythm of Basquiat's work. The improvisational quality of his painting process echoed jazz performance, while his use of repetitive textual elements paralleled hip-hop's sampling techniques. Works like 'Horn Players' explicitly celebrate jazz legends while embodying their innovative spirit in visual form.
The artist's relationship with commercial culture was complex and often contradictory. While he critiqued capitalism and commodification, he also embraced certain aspects of celebrity and commercial success. A former girlfriend reports that he kept a fridge full of caviar. This tension appears in works that simultaneously celebrate and critique consumer culture, reflecting the complicated position of the artist within capitalist systems.
Basquiat's Legacy and Influence
Critical and market recognition of Basquiat's importance has grown substantially since his death. Major museum exhibitions have examined his work with increasing sophistication, moving beyond sensationalist biographical details to focus on his artistic innovations and cultural significance. The record-breaking sale of 'Untitled' for $110.5 million in 2017 made Basquiat the most expensive American artist at auction, though such market success raises questions about the commodification of his anti-establishment message.
Despite all this, during his lifetime Basquiat resented that the New York art establishment never really accepted him.
Influence on Contemporary Art
Basquiat's impact on subsequent generations of artists is growing. His integration of text and image, his fearless approach to difficult social subjects, and his validation of non-academic artistic training have influenced countless contemporary artists. The street art movement, the Pictures Generation, and many young artists working today can trace elements of their practice back to Basquiat.
More broadly, Basquiat's career helped establish the legitimacy of artists working outside traditional institutional frameworks. His success opened doors for other artists of color and validated alternative paths to artistic recognition. The ongoing relevance of his social commentary speaks to the persistence of the issues he addressed and the continued need for art that confronts uncomfortable truths about American society.
Authenticity
What makes Basquiat's work resonate is its authenticity. Despite his rapid rise to fame and commercial success, his paintings maintained their raw energy and uncompromising vision. He refused to sanitize his message or soften his critique to appeal to more comfortable audiences.
This authenticity extends to his technique as well. Basquiat never abandoned the direct, immediate approach he developed as a street artist.
Conclusion: A Unique and accessible vision
Jean-Michel Basquiat's brief but remarkable career gave us a new vision of art, and opened up the way for artists not privileged enough to have been given a 'formal' art education. He made it clear that there are other perspectives on art, life and the world. His paintings are as interesting now as they ever were.
His crown imagery serves as perhaps the most fitting metaphor for his achievement: like Gaugin and Van Gogh Basquiat claimed his rightful place as artistic royalty not through institutional validation but through the uniqueness and inner quality of his work. In doing so, he helped to democratise art and opened a pathway for others to follow. He also helped to disrupt the trend of corporate, exclusive and institutionally safe art from dominating the 1980s art scene. He enabled other artists to speak their own truths with the same fierce authenticity that continues to make his work both beautiful and necessary.