Jean-Michel Basquiat

Influential New Yorkers Series

Thirty-three years ago today, Brooklyn native Jean-Michel Basquiat died in his East Village studio. He was 27 years old.

Basquiat was a self-taught painter whose art addressed race, social conventions, and self-identity. Raised by parents who immersed him in art from a young age, much of his childhood was spent in New York’s world-renowned art museums. As a teenager he left his family home to live on the streets of Manhattan, immersed in his art and surrounded by other emerging artists of 1980’s New York. Luck for us all, he may just have influenced NYC as much as NYC influenced him.

If you know his name but don’t know his story, do yourself a favor and watch the entire documentary “The Radiant Child” via this Youtube link.

If you’re already familiar with this legendary New Yorker, maybe take a few minutes to reflect back on the NYC of the 1980’s that produced Jean-Michel and realize that we still see his influence all around us today

"Untitled" by Jean-Michel Basquiat

In 2017 this painting was purchased by a 41-year-old Japanese billionaire named Yusaku Maezawa for $110.5 million. Read about the purchase here

SAMO

In 1980 Robert Carrithers ran across Jean-Michel Basquiat as he was finishing a tag. He took this photo and tells the story of that night here.

57 Great Jones Street

In 2016 a plaque was put outside the building where Jean-Michel’s studio once lived.

Basquiat Commercialized.

Herschel, Billabong, and Urban Outfitters are just a few of the brands with Basquiat inspired clothing. UNIQLO has an entire Basquiat clothing line in their U.S. stores.

Things you can do today:

• Learn about his life via the website created by his estate.

• Take a virtual gallery tour of his work here.

• Visit the Soho Contemporary Art Gallery to see his work in person.

• Watch “The Radiant Child” documentary on Youtube.

• Visit his grave at Green-wood Cemetery

• Purchase a photo book released in 2019 of hundreds of previously unseen photos of Andy Warhol and Basquiat.

• Read any of the dozens of books written about him.

• Learn 21 things you probably didn’t know about him here.