Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
American, 1960-1988
Emerging from the New York City street-art scene, Jean-Michel Basquiat would become one of the most significant artists of the 20th century as he mixed hand-scrawled text, vibrant color, gestural brushwork and themes of social commentary in a prolific output of Neo-Expressionist paintings. Although his pieces always retained the improvisational energy of graffiti, Basquiat used deceptively uncomplicated motifs such as crowns and professional boxers to honor the majesty and power of Black men and place himself in that lineage. Today, Basquiat’s art is among the most expensive in the world, with his paintings regularly fetching tens of millions of dollars at auction.
Born in Brooklyn to a Haitian-American father and Puerto Rican mother, Basquiat’s parents treated him to regular visits to New York City museums and nurtured his early talent for drawing cartoons. When he was hit by a car while playing in the street, Basquiat’s mother gave him a copy of the lushly illustrated medical reference book Gray’s Anatomy. Later, human bones and body parts such as skulls and rib cages would prove potent as subject matter for his provocative and spirited visual explorations of social issues as well as his own vulnerability and the struggles he faced as a Black artist.
As a teenager, Basquiat spray-painted city bridges with friend Al Diaz, and their “SAMO” tag caught the eyes of local artists. He left home before he was 20, selling hand-painted sweatshirts and postcards in Lower Manhattan. Because Basquiat was homeless — sleeping in parks and girlfriends’ apartments — he couldn’t afford proper canvases, and instead transformed found materials, such as old doors and windows, with paint and layered paper. The works vividly juxtaposed a street-art style with forms inspired by Abstract Expressionism.
Basquiat’s first public exhibition was “The Times Square Show” in 1980, a landmark event for artists experimenting with the boundaries between the galleries and the streets, with pieces by Keith Haring, Jenny Holzer, Kenny Scharf and Kiki Smith. His art soon garnered critical acclaim as well as the attention of collectors. Basquiat’s first solo show was at Soho’s Annina Nosei Gallery, in 1982, with another that year at Larry Gagosian Gallery in Los Angeles. His star continued to rise with multiple exhibitions in Europe, a 1983 feature in the Whitney Biennial and inclusion in a 1984 exhibition of painting at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. But he found that racist stereotypes persisted in press coverage of him, even as his profile expanded, and friends contend that he was exploited by collectors and art dealers. He battled a heroin addiction for years, and at the age of 27, Basquiat died from an accidental drug overdose on August 12, 1988.
Although it mainly spanned from 1980 to 1988, Basquiat’s career in visual art involved hundreds of paintings, drawings, sculptures, prints and other works. This included collaborations with Andy Warhol, with whom he created a series of paintings between 1983 and 1985. Basquiat’s art has been exhibited in almost every major art museum in the world, and in 2017 his 1982 Untitled painting was sold for $110.5 million at a Sotheby’s auction.
Find a collection of original Jean-Michel Basquiat art on 1stDibs.
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Crowned T-Rex (Pez Dispenser) - Lithograph, 1997
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Paris, IDF
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988)
Crowned T-Rex, 1997
Lithograph
Printed signature in the plate
On paper 76 x 56 cm (c. 29.9 x 22 in)
Published by Galerie Enrico Navarra
Authentica...
Category
1990s American Modern Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Lithograph
Welcoming Jeers - Lithograph, 1997
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Paris, IDF
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988)
Welcoming Jeers, 1997
Lithograph
Printed signature in the plate
On Arches vellum 76 x 56 cm (c. 29.9 x 22 in)
Published by Galerie Enrico Navarra
...
Category
1990s American Modern Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Lithograph
Jean-Michel Basquiat - Untitled Head (Skull 2), 1982
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Central, HK
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Untitled Head (Skull 2) - Set of 3 skate decks
Made of 7 ply Grade A Canadian Maple Wood
31 1/2 × 7 9/10 in 80 × 20 cm (each deck)
Category
2010s Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Wood
Basquiat Galerie Hans Mayer 1988 (1980s Basquiat exhibition poster)
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Basquiat Galerie Hans Mayer Düsseldorf 1988:
A rare, exceptional 1980s exhibition poster designed & illustrated by Basquiat during his lifetime; published in 1988 on the occasio...
Category
1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
Jean-Michel Basquiat - Exu (1988)
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Central, HK
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Exu (1988)
Print on 7 ply Grade A Canadian Maple wood (Set of 3)
31 1/2 × 7 9/10 in 80 × 20 cm (each)
Category
2010s Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Wood
Lt. Ed. Monograph of drawings, hand signed and numbered by Jean-Michel Basquiat
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in New York, NY
This is a lifetime edition - hand signed and numbered by Jean-Michel Basquiat himself in Basquiat's lifetime. Many younger collectors don't appreciate the difference between the numerous posthumous estate authorized prints...
Category
1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Ink, Lithograph, Offset, Mixed Media
Charles the First
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in New York, NY
From the initial portfolio created posthumously in 2004, Charles the First was created as a screenprint from the painting of the same title. Hand-signed by the artist’s father and w...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Street Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Screen
Jean-Michel Basquiat Downtown 81 / New York Beat, 1981
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Jean-Michel Basquiat Downtown 81 / New York Beat:
Basquiat created this impossibly rare printed flyer in 1981 to advertise a band performance within his feature acted film: Downtown ...
Category
1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
Jean-Michel Basquiat Downtown 81 / New York Beat 1980
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Jean-Michel Basquiat Downtown 81 / New York Beat 1980:
Basquiat created this impossibly rare printed flyer to advertise a band performance within his feature acted film: Downtown 81 ...
Category
1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
Basquiat 1979 Drawing (Basquiat Lounge Lizards draing)
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Jean-Michel Basquiat Lounge Lizards 1979:
Impossibly rare original hand-drafted flyer by Basquiat for a performance by his close friend, John Lurie & t...
Category
1970s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Paper, Ink
The King - Lithograph, 1997
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Paris, IDF
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988)
The King, 1997
Lithograph
Printed signature in the plate
On paper 76 x 56 cm (c. 29.9 x 22 in)
Published by Galerie Enrico Navarra
Authenticated b...
Category
1990s American Modern Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Lithograph
Jean-Michel Basquiat, (1985 monograph, Hand signed and numbered by Basquiat)
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in New York, NY
Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1985
Limited Edition Artist's Book with Offset Lithographs. Hand signed and numbered by Jean-Michel Basquiat
Hand signed and numb...
Category
1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Offset, Lithograph
Jean-Michel Basquiat hand-painted sweatshirt 1979/1980
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Jean-Michel Basquiat (untitled), 'MAN MADE Sweatshirt', c. 1979:
Basquiat produced this rare original hand-painted sweatshirt (among others, with only few known to have survived) for the purposes of selling these on his own and through the historic downtown fashion boutique, Patricia Field’s. Basquiat was captured wearing a similar example in the well publicized 1979 photo, 'Basquiat Dancing at The Mudd Club' by Nicholas Taylor of Gray. This double-sided work notably features Basquiat’s ‘MANMADE’ tag - Basquiat’s alias after he took to the streets to declare “SAMO is Dead”.
The work is further highlighted by Basquiat’s ‘BAD’ motif - uniquely paralleling his consideration to naming his band, ‘Bad Fools’ prior to Gray. In trademark Basquiat style, we also find the vertically spaced ‘E’ on both sides of the piece, as well as dashed lines which would appear in many of the artist’s Anti-Product cards, early drawings and more. The work emanates directly from the collection of world renowned author Lucy Sante (formerly Luc Sante). As it is well publicized, Basquiat worked with Sante in 1979/80 on the downtown-art scene publication, ‘Stranded’ (New York, 1980).
Medium: Acrylic on cotton sweatshirt (double-sided artwork). Executed circa 1979/1980.
Dimensions: 16.5 x 22 inches (outstretched cuff to cuff: 50 inches & sleeve length: 18 inches).
Condition: In good overall vintage condition. Bright well-preserved colors; some minor discoloration in several areas due to normal age related wear and use; scattered stains located on the hem, inner arm area(s) and cuffs; scattered minor pilling; loose thread on the reverse of hem. Basquiat's artwork throughout remains fully intact.
Unique. One of a kind. Signed ‘MANMADE’ and numbered 5/100 on the reverse.
Provenance: Gifted by Basquiat to Lucy Sante; obtained directly from the former. Sante's relationship to Basquiat is well documented in three publications (see below literature/references for more). Accompanied by a letter of provenance from Sante.
Literature/References:
-'Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat,' by Sarah Driver - this 2018 documentary features an in-depth section devoted to Basquiat's 'Man Made' clothing, featuring an interview with designer Patricia Field & artist Kenny Scharf.
- 'Basquiat Before Basquiat' (MCA Denver; see Sante, p.40-43 ).
- 'Stranded' issue four index (Spring 1980). Basquiat's identity is confirmed as 'Man-Made' midway on page.
- 'Zeitgeist: The Art Scene of Teenage Basquiat' (Howl Arts 2018; essay: 'Stranded' by Lucy Sante).
- 'An Intimate Look at Jean-Michel Basquiat's Early Days' by Lucy Sante (Village Voice 2/8/17).
-'Man Made by Basquiat' (MinnieMuse) May 2019.
-'Exploring Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1970's Clothing Collection, 'Man Made.'' Vice Magazine, May 2019.
- ‘The Jean-Michel Basquiat Reader’ (Moore pg. 334) discusses Basquiat’s Man Made painted clothing.
- 'Basquiat Dancing at The Mudd Club' photograph by Nicholas Taylor of Gray (Basquiat wears a similarly painted sweatshirt).
Basquiat’s use of ’MAN MADE', see:
- Glenn O'Brien "Graffiti '80;" High Times, June 1980 (p. 53-54); "Jean-Michel Basquiat who is known to many as SAMO, had changed his alias to Man Made".
- Jean-Michel Basquiat: 1981, the Studio of the Street (Diego Cortez; 2007 p. 80).
- The Last Time I Saw Basquiat (NYR Daily 9/3/16; essay by Lucy Sante).
- Basquiat: Boom For Real (Barbican; Nairne, Buchhart & Johnson p.26).
- Sotheby's S2 Catalog & Sale, "Man Made" (May 2013).
Intertextual References:
Basquiat's 'BAD' motif further appears in the following 1979 works:
- "Stupid Games, Bad Ideas" (color xerox; see Basquiat: Boom For Real pg. 108).
- Basquiat (untitled) "Test Pattern" (original drawing and xerox; see Basquiat: Boom For Real pg. 147).
- Basquiat (untitled) "Gumby Is Bad" t-shirt (worn on camera by the artist at Canal Zone...
Category
1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Acrylic
Signed Basquiat Bischofberger Paintings Catalog 1985 (Basquiat Zurich 1985)
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Signed Jean-Michel Basquiat Bischofberger Paintings Catalog 1985:
This brilliantly rendered, hand-signed limited edition 1980s Basquiat catalog,...
Category
1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Paper
Basquiat Gray 1980
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Jean-Michel Basquiat (untitled) Gray 1980:
Basquiat illustrated & printed this exceptionally rare flyer for his band Gray in 1980. Executed similarly in the manner of his well-documented Anti-Product Cards of the period - Basquiat draws over a found image, then employs his famous William Burroughs style 'cut-up' technique; completing the piece by abstractly scrawling the word, 'Gray' above. Few known to have survived. Not to be passed upon.
Literature:
Jean-Michel Basquiat 1981: The Studio of the Street', (Deitch, Cortez, Vassell); Seeing Loud: Basquiat and Music (Buchhart, Bessières, Desmarais).
Exhibited:
Jean-Michel Basquiat 1981: The Studio of the Street: Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, New York, 2006; New York, New Music 1980-86: Museum of the City of New York (2021); Montreal Museum of Fine Arts: Seeing Loud: Basquiat and Music (2022); Basquiat Soundtracks: The Philharmonie de Paris, 2023 (The Paris Philharmonic). Further background as follows:
Medium: Color Xerox on paper. 1980.
Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 inches.
Condition: Good overall vintage condition; scattered soiling marks; minor signs of handling & aging; typewriting on the reverse; minor corner bending in one or more places.
Unsigned from an edition of unknown; few known to have survived.
Provenance: Obtained directly from a prominent Basquiat Gray...
Category
1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Offset, Lithograph
Jean-Michel Basquiat - Six Fifty, 1982
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Central, HK
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Six Fifty - Set of 3 skate decks
Made of 7 ply Grade A Canadian Maple Wood
31 1/2 × 7 9/10 in 80 × 20 cm (each deck)
Category
2010s Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Wood
Jean Michel Basquiat Supercomb (Exhibition Poster)
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Englishtown, NJ
This wonderful litho was designed by Jean Michel Basquiat for his exhibition at Yvon Lambert, Paris in 1988.
Super vibrant colors with many interesting details of images and words co...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Lithograph
$1,875 Sale Price
25% Off
Basquiat Test Pattern 1979 (Basquiat Gray)
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Jean-Michel Basquiat Test Pattern 1979:
Basquiat created this impossibly rare flyer on the occasion of a performance by his band, Test Pattern (l...
Category
1970s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Offset
Jean-Michel Basquiat - Equals Pi, 1982
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Central, HK
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Equals Pi - Set of 3 skate decks
Made of 7 ply Grade A Canadian Maple Wood
31 1/2 × 7 9/10 in 80 × 20 cm (each deck)
Category
2010s Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Wood
Basquiat Rammellzee poster 1982
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Jean-Michel Basquiat 1982:
RARE original 1982 Jean-Michel Basquiat illustrated poster for “Ikonoklast Panzerism versus Tricnology” lecture with Rammellzee, Squat Theater, New York, ...
Category
1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Offset, Lithograph
Florence By Jean-Michel Basquiat
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Dubai, Dubai
Florence
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
2002
Medium: Offset Lithograph
Paper Size: 25.5 x 35.75 inches ( 65 x 91 cm )
Image Size: 22.5 x 35.75 inches ( 57 x 91 cm )
Edition Size: 2000
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
Jean-Michel Basquiat - Both Poles, 1982
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Central, HK
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Both Poles, 1982 - Set of 3 skate decks
Made of 7 ply Grade A Canadian Maple Wood
31 1/2 × 7 9/10 in 80 × 20 cm (each deck)
Category
2010s Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Wood
SIGNED BASQUIAT Kestner-Gesellschaft exhibition catalog 1986
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Jean-Michel Basquiat Hanover 1986:
Rare hand-signed 1986 Basquiat catalog published on the occasion of Jean-Michel Basquiat Kestner-Gesellschaft Hannover: 28 November 1986 to 25 January 1987. Featuring 60 works by a then 25 year old Basquiat, Kestner is widely remembered as Basquiat’s last major exhibition during his lifetime. Signed boldly & inscribed to ‘Hans’ (Meyer?) on the interior title page.
Medium: signed exhibition catalogue
Bound in stiff wraps. Text in German. Approximately 100 pages. Features full-page images of over 30 Basquiat paintings, in addition to several in collaboration with Andy Warhol.
Well preserved bold, marker signature & inscription. Book: very good overall vintage condition.
From a scarce edition of unknown. Distinctly rarer when signed.
Provenance: Obtained from a noted Manhattan rare book specialist. Accompanied by a COA from Lot 180 Gallery, New York
We are a 1stDibs seller since 2016 specializing in Basquiat, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, KAWS & more.
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Jean-Michel Basquiat was an influential African-American artist who rose to success during the 1980s. Basquiat’s paintings are largely responsible for elevating graffiti artists into the realm of the New York gallery scene. His spray-painted crowns and scribbled words referenced everything from his Haitian and Puerto Rican heritage, to political issues, pop-culture icons, and Biblical verse. The gestural marks and expressive nature of his work not only aligned him with the street art of Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf, but also the Neo-Expressionists Julian Schnabel and David Salle. “If you wanna talk about influence, man, then you've got to realize that influence is not influence,” he said of his process. “It's simply someone's idea going through my new mind.” Born on December 22, 1960 in Brooklyn, NY, Basquiat never finished high school but developed an appreciation for art as a youth, from his many visits to the Brooklyn Museum of Art with his mother. His early work consisted of spray painting buildings and trains in downtown New York alongside his friend Al Diaz. The artist’s tag was the now infamous pseudonym SAMO. After quickly rising to fame in the early 1980s, Basquiat was befriended by many celebrities and artists, including Andy Warhol, with whom he made several collaborative works. At only 27, his troubles with fame and drug addiction led to his tragic death from a heroin overdose on August 12, 1988 in New York, NY. The Whitney Museum of American Art held the artist’s first retrospective from October 1992 to February 1993. In 2017, after having set Basquiat’s auction record the previous year with a $57.3 million purchase, the Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa surpassed it, buying the artist’s Untitled (1982) at Sotheby's for $110.5 million. This set a new record for the highest price ever paid at auction for an American artist's work. Today, Basquiat's works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Rubell Family Collection in Miami, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, among others.
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The Dingoes That Park Their Brain With Their Gum By Jean-Michel Basquiat
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Dubai, Dubai
The Dingoes that Park Their Brain with Their Gum
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
2002
Medium: Offset Lithograph
Paper Size: 38.5 x 39.5 inches ( 98 x 100 cm )
Image Size: 34.5 x 39.5 in...
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Early 2000s Contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
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Jean-Michel Basquiat - Pez Dispenser (1984)
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Central, HK
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Pez Dispenser (1984)
Made of 7 ply Grade A Canadian Maple Wood
31 1/2 × 7 9/10 in 80 × 20 cm
Category
2010s Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Wood
Jean-Michel Basquiat - Charles the First, 1982
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Central, HK
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Charles the First - Set of 3 skate decks
Made of 7 ply Grade A Canadian Maple Wood
31 1/2 × 7 9/10 in 80 × 20 cm (each deck)
Category
2010s Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Wood
Jean-Michel Basquiat - Untitled (New York), 1981
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Central, HK
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Untitled (New York), 1981
Made of 7 ply Grade A Canadian Maple Wood
31 1/2 × 7 9/10 in 80 × 20 cm
Category
2010s Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Wood
Jean-Michel Basquiat - Untitled (Red King), 1982
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Central, HK
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Untitled (Red King), 1982
Made of 7 ply Grade A Canadian Maple Wood
31 1/2 × 7 9/10 in 80 × 20 cm
Category
2010s Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Wood
Jean-Michel Basquiat - King of Baseball (1981)
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in Central, HK
Jean-Michel Basquiat
King of Baseball (1981)
Made of 7 ply Grade A Canadian Maple Wood
31 1/2 × 7 9/10 in 80 × 20 cm
Category
2010s Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Wood
Basquiat Food for the Soup Kitchens poster 1983
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Jean-Michel Basquiat 'Food for the Soup Kitchens' Fashion Moda, New York 1983:
Basquiat illustrated this rare, highly sought-after exhibit poster for the “Food for the Soup Kitchens...
Category
1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
Jean-michel Basquiat art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Jean-Michel Basquiat art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of yellow and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Jean-Michel Basquiat in lithograph, offset print, paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the Pop Art style. Not every interior allows for large Jean-Michel Basquiat art, so small editions measuring 8 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Ronnie Cutrone, John Grillo, and Donald Baechler. Jean-Michel Basquiat art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $475 and tops out at $120,000, while the average work can sell for $2,850.
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Questions About Jean-Michel Basquiat Art
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022You can see Jean-Michel Basquiat paintings in a number of locations. Some of his work is in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, California, and The Museum of Modern Art in New York, New York. On 1stDibs, find a selection of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022The meaning of Jean-Michel Basquiat's art varied from piece to piece. Generally, the American artist attempted to illustrate dichotomies, such as the experience of the wealthy versus the experience of the poor and the inner self versus the outer self. On 1stDibs, shop a range of Jean-Michel Basquiat art.