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.
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1980s Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Tall Saguaro cacti dot a hilly southwestern landscape. The rising sun casts long, dramatic shadows that stretch across the terrain. Bright reds, blues, and yell...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Colorful houses sit at the edge of a lake, with a pink boat anchored nearby. The greens and blues of the summer sky reflect on the still water. Artist John Jaster's choice of a bright color palette creates a lively and inviting 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
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
A farmhouse and barns sit among rolling green hills and tree-lined pastures. Under the warmth of the summer sun, cows graze lazily in the fields. A creek mirrors the blue sky and the rooftops, adding a serene touch to the pastoral scene.
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
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
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Paper
Artist Comments
Artist John Jaster paints a cul-de-sac of new modern houses in bright yellows and blues. A model neighborhood with cars in the driveway, a covered motorcycle ...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Cows graze outside a red barn, with wheat fields stretching into the distance. The bright sun casts high-contrast shadows, while the muted sky accentuates the vibrancy of the landscape. The composition captures the brilliant colors of a summer day.
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
Artist Comments
People bustle past each other, filling the sidewalks of 42nd Street in New York City. On this sunny winter afternoon, storefronts dazzle with colorful advertisements, while theater marquee lights reflect off restaurant windows. The sounds of traffic mix with the lively beat of Spanish rock music from boom boxes, infusing the air with the vibrant pulse of urban life.
About the Artist
Artist Leroy Burt paints playful, offbeat landscapes and portraits based on his experiences living in Milwaukee, New York, Costa Rica, and currently Rochester, Minnesota. "I think of my paintings as short stories," he says. As a young child, Leroy faced a number of obstacles. His parents divorced when he was four years old and he was raised by his grandparents in a three-room shack without running water or electricity. Leroy worked hard to pull himself out of poverty. He studied graphic design and painting, which led to a 30-year career in graphic design - five years at WMVS, the PBS television station in Milwaukee, fifteen years at city hall in Milwaukee, and ten years at WNET, the PBS station in New York. In 2015, Leroy retired to focus his energy on painting. Today, he works from a tiny studio filled with half-finished paintings stacked against every wall. "There are photos and sketches for future paintings taped everywhere," says Leroy. "My windows are filled with orchids. There are books, films and music CDs in every corner. And the room is dominated by a black and silver Andy Warhol silkscreen...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
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 bright harvest moon illuminates the edges of gray and blue clouds, casting its glow over a small house with an orange door. Birch trees in autumn colors sta...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Jean-Michel Basquiat Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media, 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
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Artists Similar to 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.
- 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.