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The following is a list of significant artworks by the American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988), who played a historic role in the rise of street art and neo-expressionism. During his short yet productive career, Basquiat created more than 600 paintings and 1,500 drawings. [1] He started creating sculptures and mixed media works in 1979.
[2] The year it was created, Basquiat had his first solo exhibition at Galleria d'Arte Emilio Mazzoli and Annina Nosei became his first art dealer. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] Describing his aesthetic, she said his paintings "had a quality you don't find on the walls of the street, a quality of poetry and a universal message of the sign.
Basquiat was born on December 22, 1960, in Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York City, the second of four children to Matilde Basquiat (née Andrades, 1934–2008) and Gérard Basquiat (1930–2013). [2] He had an older brother, Max, who died shortly before his birth, and two younger sisters, Lisane (b. 1964) and Jeanine (b. 1967).
The figure in the artwork—a black man dressed in a midnight blue police uniform—represents the totalitarian black mass. [3] The hat that frames the head of the policeman resembles a cage, and represents what Basquiat believes are the constrained independent perceptions of African-Americans at the time, and how constrained the policeman's own perceptions were within white society.
In 2013, Crown Hotel (Mona Lisa Black Background) sold for $7.4 million at Sotheby's sale of Contemporary Art in Paris and set a record price in France for a Basquiat artwork. [1] Sotheby's said: "It is a powerful yet coherent work of tremendous depth and complexity—the most important Basquiat ever to appear at auction in France."
The subdued facial expression is a contrast to the vibrant colors that suggest an abundance of internal activity. Basquiat's use of heads and skulls are deeply rooted in his identity as a Black American and are evocative of African masks. [4] "He developed a unique style, which combined expressive and at times violent brushstrokes with words ...
Basquiat had a fascination with the human anatomy since he was a child. A major reference source used throughout his career was the book Gray's Anatomy. After he was hit by a car, his mother had given him the book while he was in the hospital recovering from a broken arm and various internal injuries. [3]
Jean-Michel Basquiat at Galerie Enrico Navarra in Paris, April–June 1996. [8] Jean-Michel Basquiat at Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts in Taiwan, January–June 1997; [8] Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo in Brazil, June–August 1998. [8] Basquiat a Venezia at Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa in Venice, June–October 1999. [8]