Neo-Expressionism · New York
Jean-Michel Basquiat
From the streets of 1970s New York to the heart of the 1980s art world, in less than a decade.
About the artist
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988) was born in Brooklyn, New York. He first made his mark as one half of SAMO©, the graffiti duo he formed with Al Diaz in the late 1970s, leaving cryptic aphorisms across Lower Manhattan.
By the early 1980s he had moved from street to canvas, becoming a leading figure of the neo-expressionist turn. His paintings fused text and image — anatomy, jazz, boxing, history, power and race — in an urgent, improvisatory hand that made him one of the defining artists of the decade.
He collaborated closely with Andy Warhol and worked alongside the most celebrated artists of his time before his death in 1988 at the age of twenty-seven. His influence on subsequent generations of artists is profound.
Signature themes
Crowns
His recurring three-pointed crown — a marker of kingship, ambition and heroism across his paintings and drawings.
Anatomy & the body
Heads, skulls and figures drawn from Gray's Anatomy, rendered with a raw, diagrammatic energy.
Words & symbols
Lists, fragments and crossed-out phrases layering text directly into the image.
History & identity
References to Black figures, jazz, boxing and colonial history — a persistent examination of power and representation.
Warhol collaboration
A celebrated series of joint works with Andy Warhol in the mid-1980s.
Works on paper
A vast and important body of drawings, central to understanding his practice.
At a glance
- Born 1960, Brooklyn, New York
- Co-founded SAMO© with Al Diaz
- Rose to prominence in the early 1980s
- Collaborated with Andy Warhol
- Died 1988, aged 27
- Held in major museum collections worldwide
Works by Jean-Michel Basquiat are sourced to order.
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