Biography

Jean Michel Basquiat began painting graffiti in New York in 1977. He always signed his works with SAMO, which means "Same Old Shit". His works came to the attention of the American painter Keith Haring, who drew inspiration for his own work from New York graffiti paintings. Basquiat also made drawings on paper, sheet metal, T-shirts and other materials. And assemblages were created from scrap. In 1980 he took part in an exhibition together with Jenny Holzer, John Ahearn and several other artists. The following year, the medium "Artforum" reported on Basquiat in a major article.

Further exhibitions followed, which contributed to his popularity. He presented his work in 1981 at the exhibition "New York, New Wave" at P.S.1. His contacts with the director Julian Schnabel, who made a film about Basquiat in 1996, as well as other acquaintances with artists such as the American painter Willem de Kooning also advanced his career - also in the international art scene. In 1982 an exhibition of his works opened in Italy. In the same year, at the age of 21, he was invited to take part in the documenta in Kassel.

In 1983 he met Andy Warhol, which not only developed into a friendship. Warhol became his mentor and supporter. The relationship developed into a working group and joint exhibitions followed. Warhol called Basquiat the first black superstar artist. His works quickly became sought after by critics, collectors and artists. He made his breakthrough with mixed media, using colored pencils, oil pastels, pastels, watercolors, pencils, charcoal and acrylics. He used it to design canvases and paper, adding columns of words and grimaces or the copyright symbol.

In the 1980s, Jean Michel Basquiat became one of the most important figures in the New York art scene alongside artists such as Keith Haring, Julian Schnabel, David Salle and Francesco Clemente. In his second phase, Basquiat emphasized the figurative nature of his subjects. Nevertheless, his roots in graffiti art cannot be denied, they are always present. He created paintings with large formats and fast movements. He used Jackson Pollock's drip painting technique by letting the paint fall onto the surface. Basquiat's themes in his art included protesting against racial discrimination.

With his works, the artist also wanted to draw attention to the difficult conditions of the weaker people in society. Basquiat was very productive in his short artistic career. His complete works number several hundred Work.

Jean Michel Basquiat died of a heroin overdose on August 12, 1988.