Keith Haring - Untitled

Grace Jones, Fela Kuti, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Keith Haring hanging out in NYC

📷 © Andy Warhol

1986

Keith Haring with his mural at DTJ video game arcade store on Avenue D in the East Village, 1984.

Photos by Tseng Kwong Chi 

Iconic artist Jean Michel Basquiat photographed crate-diggin’ for vinyl records in the 80s.

Jean-Michel Basquiat was born on December 22, 1960, in Brooklyn, New York City. He had a tumultuous upbringing and dropped out of high school at an early age. Basquiat started as a street artist in the late 1970s, using the pseudonym SAMO (short for "same old shit"). His graffiti was characterized by its social and political commentary.

In the early 1980s, Basquiat transitioned from street art to the world of galleries and art parties, gaining recognition for his raw and emotionally charged paintings. He often combined text and imagery in his work, addressing themes like race, identity, and class. His unique style and powerful visual storytelling quickly made him a prominent figure in the exciting art scene at the time.

Basquiat collaborated with the artist Andy Warhol, and their work together was widely recognized. His art was featured in numerous exhibitions, and he became one of the youngest artists to exhibit at the prestigious Kestner-Gesellschaft gallery in Germany.

Basquiat became the toast of NYC and was close with other icons of the time including Keith Haring as well as a year long relationship with Madonna in 1983, before she went on to become the biggest female pop star of the decade.

Tragically, Basquiat died of a heroin overdose on August 12, 1988, at the age of 27. Today, Jean-Michel Basquiat's artwork is celebrated for its profound impact on contemporary art, and his paintings continue to fetch high prices at auctions.

His legacy lives on as a symbol of artistic innovation and social commentary.