26 Interesting Facts about Jean-Michel Basquiat

Dan April 28, 2023

Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent who emerged as a leading figure in the New York City art scene in the 1980s. Born in Brooklyn in 1960, Basquiat began his artistic career as a graffiti artist under the pseudonym SAMO. He quickly gained recognition for his distinctive style, which combined text and imagery to create powerful statements on race, class, and power.

In the early 1980s, Basquiat began to transition from street art to fine art, and he quickly gained critical acclaim for his work. His paintings were shown in galleries and museums around the world, and he became one of the most celebrated artists of his generation. Sadly, Basquiat’s life was cut short when he died of a drug overdose in 1988 at the age of 27.

Despite his short life and career, Basquiat’s work has had a lasting impact on the art world and beyond. His art continues to be celebrated for its raw energy, boldness, and political message, and he is widely regarded as one of the most important artists of the 20th century.

It’s a good idea to look at these 26 interesting facts about Jean-Michel Basquiat to know more about him.

1. Jean-Michel Basquiat was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1960.
2. He was of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent.
3. As a child, Basquiat was hit by a car and spent several months in hospital.
4. He began drawing at a young age and was encouraged by his mother, who was an artist.
5. Basquiat dropped out of high school at the age of 17 and began selling postcards and T-shirts in Greenwich Village.
6. In the late 1970s, Basquiat began tagging buildings in downtown Manhattan under the pseudonym SAMO.
7. Basquiat’s art often combined words and images to create powerful statements on race, class, and power.
8. He collaborated with the artist Andy Warhol on a series of works in the mid-1980s.
9. Basquiat’s work was heavily influenced by African, Caribbean, and African-American art and culture.
10. He was known for his distinctive use of color and the use of bold, graphic elements in his paintings.
11. Basquiat’s work often featured references to popular culture, including jazz, hip hop, and television.
12. In 1983, Basquiat became the youngest artist to participate in Documenta, a major art exhibition held in Kassel, Germany.
13. In 1985, Basquiat appeared on the cover of The New York Times Magazine, which declared him “the radiant child” of the art world.
14. Basquiat’s art was exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, including the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
15. He also appeared in several films, including Downtown 81, in which he played the lead role.
16. Basquiat struggled with addiction throughout his life and died of a drug overdose in 1988, at the age of 27.
17. His estate has since been managed by his father, Gerard Basquiat, and the art dealer Larry Gagosian.
18. In 2017, Basquiat’s painting “Untitled” sold for $110.5 million, setting a new record for the most expensive artwork by an American artist ever sold at auction.
19. The documentary film “Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat” explores the artist’s early years and the cultural scene in downtown New York in the late 1970s.
20. Basquiat’s artwork has been featured on album covers for musicians such as David Bowie and Miles Davis.
21. In 1996, the Jean-Michel Basquiat Foundation was established to promote the artist’s legacy and support young artists.
22. In 2010, the Brooklyn Museum held a major retrospective of Basquiat’s work, which attracted record-breaking crowds.
23. Basquiat was also a prolific poet and musician, and he performed in several bands, including Gray and Test Pattern.
24. The 1982 book “The Radiant Child,” by art critic and curator Rene Ricard, is considered one of the most influential works on Basquiat’s art.
25. Basquiat’s life and art have been the subject of several biographies, including “Basquiat: A Quick Killing in Art” by Phoebe Hoban.
26. The 1996 biopic “Basquiat,” directed by Julian Schnabel, starred Jeffrey Wright as the artist and featured David Bowie as Andy Warhol.

Jean-Michel Basquiat was a highly influential artist who had a profound impact on the art world in the 1980s and continues to inspire and influence artists today. His unique style, which combined elements of street art, pop culture, and fine art, challenged traditional notions of art and opened up new possibilities for self-expression. His art explored themes of identity, race, power, and history, and remains a powerful reflection of the social and political landscape of his time. Basquiat’s legacy continues to be celebrated and studied around the world, and his contributions to contemporary art have earned him a place among the most important artists of the 20th century.