Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
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.
1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist John McCabe depicts four cowboy boots embellished with colorful details. "The great country music performers from the 1960s to the 1970s made certain to match their Nudie...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"Vintage American cars are some of the finest works of art in the world," states John Jaster. "From the 40s through the 60s the auto industry embraced long st...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Rolling green hills unfold against mist-covered mountains in the morning light. Autumn trees adorn the landscape, casting long shadows on the vibrant field. T...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A nighttime scene shows an In-N-Out Burger with a few people eating inside the brightly lit restaurant. Several cars are parked outside. The outdoor tables with colorful umbrellas are empty. The red and yellow neon lighting infuses the scene with a festive atmosphere.
About the Artist
Artist John Jaster paints in a style he describes as realistic impressions, capturing colorful views of his adventures across the Americas. "People always ask me how I get such deep brilliant colors," says John. "The answer is layers. Since acrylic paint dries mostly transparent, it requires multiple layers of paint to build up to a specific color. With the right lighting that depth of layering is like sunshine glistening through clear water." In college, John felt a pull towards computer science and pursued a career in software architecture. Although the two paths...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
A spring thaw creates a stream tumbling down the side of snow-covered mountains. Red flowers bloom among the rocks and trees, bringing warmth to the scene. Th...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A flat, snowy field surrounds a bright red schoolhouse and a barn. The pale winter sun casts soft shadows across the land while patches of dead grass emerge f...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist John McCabe illustrates an anthropomorphic elephant a step from the signage of a tap beer pub. He creates this piece for a p...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist John Jaster offers a playfully rendered forest filled with tall trees in vibrant hues of red, green, and blue. In his process, John creates stunning co...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
The Kancamagus Trail in Conway, New Hampshire, undergoes a captivating transformation every fall. With their vibrant leaves, the maple trees stand out against...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Acrylic
20th Century Post-War Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Paper, Chalk, Oil, Graphite
Early 2000s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Offset
1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Leather, Permanent Marker
Jean-michel Basquiat paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Artists Similar to Jean-Michel Basquiat
- 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.