Description:

Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) abstract color lithograph known as Untitled after the original which was created in 1981. It is double matted and framed under glass in a black frame with gold trim. It measures 24 inches x 26 inches. This piece was acquired from an art gallery auction in Virginia, but has no COA or detailed provenance.

    Provenance:
  • This piece was acquired from an art gallery auction in Virginia, but has no COA or detailed provenance.
  • Dimensions:
  • 24 inches x 26 inches
  • Artist Name:
  • Jean-Michel Basquiat
  • Medium:
  • Lithograph
  • Notes:
  • About the Artist: Noted for his graffiti street paintings under the name pseudonym 'SAMO', Jean-Michel Basquiat was born in Brooklyn. His father was Haitian-born Gerard Basquiat. His mother, Matilde Andradas, had been born in Brooklyn of Puerto Rican parents. When only a small boy, Basquiat began drawing, inspired by the cartoons and Hitchcock films he watched on television. When only eight, Basquiat was hit by a car while he played in the street, requiring him to spend a month in the hospital. During this time his mother gave him a copy of the book, Gray's Anatomy, the influence of which was to later show up in his artwork as well as the name of a band he co-founded in 1979, called Gray. He attended City as School, a progressive school in Manhattan. There he met Al Diaz, a graffitist who lived in the lower east side projects. They became friends and artistic collaborators. The two were among the most popular students at their school, both creative and also with an affinity for getting into trouble. Basquiat invented a fictional character named SAMO (for same old shit), and he and Diaz began spray-painting witticisms 'by SAMO' around lower Manhattan. Through City as School, Basquiat became involved with a drama group. He also has admiration for famous people such as Joplin, Hendrix, Charlie Parker, Billie Holliday, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Joe Louis. Some of these were later to appear in his paintings. Leaving home for good around 1978, Basquiat stayed at homes of friends, including the loft of British artist Stan Peskett. To make a sale, he approached Andy Warhol in a restaurant, and did make the sale, but it was not until some years later that the two became friends. In 1980, Basquiat's art was exhibited for the first time, and encouraged by the reception of his art, he quit his band, Gray. In 1981 he traveled to Europe for the first time, for a one-man show in Italy, where the work was shown under the name SAMO. Traveling to Los Angeles for an exhibition in 1982, Basquiat ended up staying for about six months, enjoying the climate and club scene there. From then on, he returned to LA several times a year. In 1983 Basquiat moved into a space in a building he leased from Andy Warhol, and from that time on their relationship grew. They worked together, painted each other's portraits, attended art events together in New York and abroad, and discussed their philosophies. Racial issues and identities were often a concern of Basquiat's. There were collaborative paintings that he created with Warhol and Clemente that were exhibited internationally, and Basquiat become a celebrity in his own right. Drug use, which had been part of his life since his teens, became more and more of a problem. At only twenty-four, his deteriorating health had become noticeable. In 1986, Basquiat traveled to Africa for his first time. Basquiat continued to travel both domestically and internationally for his exhibits. After Warhol's death in 1987, he became withdrawn and less productive. On August 12, 1988, he was found in his New York loft, dead at twenty-seven from an overdose of heroin.
  • Condition:
  • Excellent

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