Jean-Michel Basquiat
Untitled (the skull), acrylic and mixed media on canvas, 1984
I’ve always been a huge fan of Jean-Michel Basquiat, and want to include him here in my blog list. I often say I miss him. We were born the same year. He would be 52 this year. Brilliant, brilliant, artist. We need a spirit like him. I remember hearing about Andy Warhol’s death. I visited NYC for the first time in 1987 (?) and went to an opening where Warhol ‘appeared’. The end of a time in the art world of NYC. I was not aware of Basquiat at the time. I probably would not have appreciated his work either, as I was a ‘graphic designer’ at the time.. Though I saw and appreciated the graffiti in the city. Basquiat was ahead of his time. This interview with Marc Miller, art historian, this small excerpt, gives you an indication of the discrimination, academic criticism, he was up against at the time. I get/got it. Another 20 years may need to go by to ‘see’ Basquiat’s work from the chatter of critics, art historians, and fellow artists.
Brooklyn Museum, NYC, many listings and extended site with a goofy ‘make art’ interactive.
Link to home page of film by Tamra Davis, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child.
Link to Artcyclopedia listings for Jean-Michel Basquiat.
