Jean-Michel Basquiat
Biography
Jean-Michel Basquiat was born in Brooklyn in 1960. He became known locally as a graffiti artist in the late 1970s. In 1980, after a group of artists from the punk and graffiti underground held the “Times Square Show,” Basquiat’s paintings began to attract attention from the art world.
Basquiat saw his own status in the circle of collectors, dealers, and writers as connected to an American culture rife with exclusion, invisibility, and paternalism. He often used his work to directly call out these injustices and hypocrisies.
His work celebrates histories of Black art, music, and poetry, as well as religious and everyday traditions of Black life. Many of Basquiat’s works have been likened to the improvisational and expansive compositions of jazz. He sought and enjoyed unlikely collisions of imagery and words, massive influxes of information and stimuli that recreated the experience of being in a world by turns exciting, inspiring, oppressive, and toxic.
Before his tragic death in 1988 at the age of twenty-seven, Basquiat expressed seemingly boundless creative energy, producing approximately a thousand paintings and two thousand drawings.
Born: 1960
Died: 1988
Education:
Secondary School for Journalism
Edward R. Murrow High School
High School M560 – City As School
Exhibitions
Select Exhibitions
2013
Print – Woodward Gallery, New York City, NY
Jean-Michel Basquiat – Kukje Gallery, Seoul
Jean-Michel Basquiat – Gagosian Gallery, New York City, NY
Le Pont – MAC Musées d´Art Contemporain Marseille, Marseille
Don’t Be Shy, Don’t Hold Back – The Logan Collection At Sfmoma – San Francisco Museum of Modern Art – SFMOMA, San Francisco, CA
sous influences – arts plastiques et psychotropes – La Maison Rouge, Paris
2012
30 Americans – Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA
This Will Have Been: Art, Love & Politics in the 1980s – ICA – Institute of Contemporary ArtBoston, Boston, MA
Blues For Smoke – The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, CA
Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years – The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, NY
In Extremis – Fowler Museum at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Self-portrait – Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk
Narren. Künstler. Heilige – Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn
Keith Haring in Knokke – Samuel Vanhoegaerden Gallery, Knokke-Heist
Summer Selections – Woodward Gallery, New York City, NY
Les chefs-doeuvre de la donation Yvon Lambert – Collection Lambert, Avignon
This Will Have Been: Art, Love & Politics in the 1980 – Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN
Jean-Michel Basquiat / Andy Warhol – Gagosian Gallery, London (England)
Caribbean: Crossroads Of The World – Queens Museum of Art (QMA), New York City, NY
From Pop Art To Yba – The Columns, Seoul
Same Same But Different – Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich
Picasso / Basquiat – Van de Weghe Fine Art, New York City, NY
Micro Mania – Gagosian Gallery, Paris
Bye Bye American Pie – MALBA Colección Costantini – Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Spring (2012) – IKON Ltd, Santa Monica, CA
Salon du dessin 2012 – Galerie de France, Paris
Martin Visser: collector, designer, free spirit – Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht
God Save the Queen: Punk in the Netherlands 1977-1984 – Centraal Museum, Utrecht
Brucennial 2012 – Harder. Betterer. Fasterer. Strongerer – Brucennial, New York City, NY
Meneer Delta – Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam
Ménage à trois – Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn
20th Century Pop Art Masters – Galerie Gmurzynska – Zürich, Zurich
Theatre Of The World – Mona – Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, TAS
2011
Jean Michel Basquiat – Gallery Tagboat , Tokyo
Jean-Michel Basquiat and the Rat pack – BURKHARD EIKELMANN GALERIE, Dusseldorf
Portraits : Cabinet De CuriositÉs – Galerie Sébastien Bertrand, Geneva
Arts for a Better World – Taglialatella Galleries, New York, New York City, NY
30 Americans – The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Italia – america – Agnellini Arte Moderna, Brescia
Warhol & Basquiat – ARKEN Museum for Moderne Kunst, Ishoj
Summer Show – Van de Weghe Fine Art, New York City, NY
Slice of Summer – IKON Ltd, Santa Monica, CA
Made in Italy – Gagosian Gallery, Rome
GRAFFITI – NEW YORK 80´s – Galerie Jérôme de Noirmont, Paris
Untagged (the white wall show) – IKON Ltd, Santa Monica, CA
Art in the Streets – The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, CA
Un corps inattendu – FRAC – Auvergne, Clermont Ferrand
Salon du Dessin 2011 – Galerie de France, Paris
30 Americans – North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC
Hyper Real – Kunst und Amerika um 1970 – Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen
The 80s Revisited. Sammlung Bischofberger II – Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Bielefeld
ALREADY-MADE ? – Galerie Jérôme de Noirmont, Paris
2010
Basquiat/Warhol , Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, ME
Afro Modern: Journeys through the Black Atlantic, Tate Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
2009
A Tribute To Ron Warren, Mary Boone Gallery, New York City, NY
Your Gold Teeth III, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, NY
Sans—titre # 1 oeuvres de la Collection Lambert peintures des années 1970 – 1980, Collection Lambert, Avignon, France
Looking at Music: Side 2, MoMA – Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
2008
Jean-Michel Basquiat works on paper, Van de Weghe Fine Art, New York, NY (solo)
Jean-Michel Basquiat. Ahuyentando fantasmas, Fundación Marcelino Botín, Santander, Spain (solo)
2007
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Galleria Davide Di Maggio, Berlin, Germany (solo)
Jean-Michel Basquiat : Works on Paper , Van de Weghe Fine Art, New York, NY (solo)
Basquiat in Cotonou, Fondation Zinsou, Cotonou, Benin (solo)
2006
Basquiat heads, Van de Weghe Fine Art, New York, NY (solo)
Basquiat 1960-1988 – Basquiat Retrospective, Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai, China (solo)
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Museo d´Arte Moderna, Lugano, Switzerland (solo)
Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1981: The Studio of the Street, Deitch Projects – 76, Grand Street, New York, NY (solo)
Basquiat – una antología para Puerto Rico, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, Santurce, Puerto Rico (solo)
2005
Jean Michel Basquiat, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich, Switzerland (solo)
Jean Michel Basquiat, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA (solo)
Jean-Michel Basquiat, The Museum of Fine Art, Houston, TX (solo)
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY (solo)
Jean-Michel Basquiat – In Word Only, Cheim & Read, New York, NY (solo)
2004
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, Mexico (solo)
Jean-Michel Basquiat: An Intimate Portrait – Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA (solo)
2003
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Histoire d’une œuvre, Fondation Dina Vierny, Musée Maillol, Paris, France (solo)
2002
Paintings by Jean-Michael Basquiat, Hamiltons Gallery, Londres, UK (solo)
Marcel Sitcoske Gallery, San Francisco, CA (solo)
2001
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Museum Würth, Künzelsau, Germany (solo)
2000
Jean-Michel Basquiat, MITTERRAND+CRAMER/FINE ART, Geneva, Switzerland (solo)
1999
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Gemälde und Zeichnungen, Stadtgalerie Klagenfurt, Austria (solo)
Marcel Sitcoske Gallery, San Francisco, CA (solo)
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Paintings & Works on Paper, Kunsthaus Wien, Vienna, Austria (solo)
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Civico Museo Revoltella, Trieste, Italy (solo)
Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, NY (solo)
Jean Michel Basquiat , Galleria Davide Di Maggio – Milano, Milan, Italy (solo)
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Basquiat a Venezia, Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Venice, Italy (solo)
1998
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Obras sobre Papel, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires, Argentina (solo)
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Pinturas/Obras sobre papeis, Pinacoteca, Sao Paulo, Brazil (solo)
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Gagosian Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (solo)
Museu de Arte Moderna, Recife, Brazil
Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, NY (solo)
Pinacoteca, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Jean-Michel Basquiat – Temoignage 1977-1988, Galerie Jerome de Noirmont, Paris, France (solo)
1997
Art Beatus, Vancouver, Canada
Big Step, Inc. Osaka, Japan
Mitsukochi Museum, Tokyo; MIMOCA, Marugame, Japan
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Taiwan Museum of Art, Taiwan
Fondation Dina-Vierny, Musée Maillol, Paris, France
Gallery Hyundai, Seoul, Korea
Parco Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1996
Robert Miller Gallery, New York, NY; Serpentine Gallery, London, UK
Galerie Enrico Navarra, Paris, France
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Galeria Luisa Strina, São Paulo, Brazil (solo)
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Blue Ribbon Paintings, Museum of Contemporary Art – North Miami (MOCA), Miami, FL (solo)
Two Cents, Ben Maltz Gallery at Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, CA (solo)
Two Cents, Castellani Art Museum, Lewiston, NY (solo)
Contemporary Art Series #7: Jean-Michel Basquiat – Krannert Art Museum, Champaign, IL (solo)
Galeries Lucien Durand-Enrico Navarra, Paris, France
Junta de Andalucia, Malaga, Spain
The Bruce Museum, Greenwich, UK
Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, NY (solo)
Quintana Gallery, Coral Gables, FL
1995
Center Gallery, Miami-Dade Community College, Mimami, FL; Castellani Art Museum, Niagara Univerity, New York, NY; The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN; University of South Florida Art Museum, Tampa, FL; Otis Gallery of Art and Design, Los Angeles, CA; Austin Museum of Art, Austin, TX
1994
Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Robert Miller Gallery, New York, NY
Mount Holyoke College of Art Museum, South Hadley, MA; Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT; The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburg, PA; The studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY; Krannert Art Museum and Kinkead Pavilion, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL; COCA/Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL
1993
Newport Harbour Art Museum, Newport Beach, CA
FAE, Musee d’Art Contemporain, Pully-Lausanne, France
Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, NY (solo)
Musee Galerie de la Seita, Paris, France
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA (solo)
Delta Gallery, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Alpha Cubic Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Galerie Sho Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
Galerie Bruno Bischhofberger, Zurich, Switzerland
1992
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
Menil Collection, Houston, TX
Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, IA
Montgomery Museum of Fine Art, Montgomery, AL
Vrej Baghoomian Gallery, New York, NY
Galerie Eric van de Wegh, Brussels, Belgium
Musee Cantini, Marseille, France
1991
P.S.Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Galerie de Poche, Paris, France
1990
Gallery le Gall Peyroulet, Paris, France
Galerie Fabien Boulakia, Paris, France
Robert Miller Gallery, New York, NY
1989
Kestner-Gesellschaft, Hanover, Germany
Vrej Baghoomian Gallery, New York, NY
Galerie Enrico Navarra, Paris, France
Dau al Set, Galeria d’Art, Barcelona, Spain
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
1988
Galerie Michael Haas, Berlin, Germany
Vrej Baghoomian Gallery, New York, NY
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
Fay Gold Gallery, Atlanta, GA
Gallery Schlesinger Limited, New York, NY
Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, NY
Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris, France
Galerie Beaubourg, Paris, France
1987
Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris, France (solo)
Akira Ikeda Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Drawings, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, NY (solo)
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
P.S.Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1986
Larry Gagosian, Los Angeles, CA
Fay Gold Gallery, Atlanta, GA
Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich, Switzerland
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
Akira Ikeda Gallery, Nagoya, Japan
Centre Culturel Francais d’Abidjan, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Galerie Delta, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Kestner-Gesellschaft, Hanover, Germany
Galerie Michael Werner, Cologne, Germany
1985
Mary Boone Gallery, New York, NY (solo)
Akira Ikeda Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, NY
Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich, Switzerland
Jean Michel Basquiat / MATRIX 80, Berkeley Art Museum, Berkley, CA; Pacific Film Archive BAM/PFA, Berkeley, CA (solo)
1984
Mary Boone Gallery, New York, NY (solo)
The Fruitmaker Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
ICA, London, UK
Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Carpenter + Hochman gallery, Dallas, TX
New Expressionists, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, NY
Paintings and Sculpture Today, Indianapolis Musuem of Art, Indianapolis, IN
American Neo-Expressionists, Aldrich Museum, Ridgefield, CT
New Art, Musee D’Art Contemporain, Montreal, Canada
1983
New York Now, Kestner-Gesellschaft, Hannover, Germany; Kunstverein Munich, Munich, Germany; Musee Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland; Kunstverein fur die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Dusseldorf, Germany
From the Streets, Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, SC
Post Graffiti, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, NY
Paintings, Mary Boone Gallery, New York, NY
Whitney Biennale, Whitney Museum, New York, NY
New Work, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, NY
Intoxication, Monique Knowlton Gallery, New York, NY; Mary Boone Gallery, New York, NY
Back to the Usa, Kunstmuseum Luzern, Luzern, Switzerland; Rheinisches Landmuseum, Bonn, germany; Wurttembergischer Kunstverein, Stuttgart, Germany; Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, NY
Selected Works, Ulrike Kantor Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Mary Boone and her Artists, Seibu Museum, Tokyo
Written Imagery Unleashed in the Twentieth Century, Fine Arts Museum of Long Island, Hempstead, NY
Food for the Soup Kitchens, Fashion Moda, Bronx, NY
Contemporary Drawing, Delahunty Gallery, Dallas, TX
West Beach Café, Venice, CA
Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich, Switzerland
Akira Ikeda Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1982
Emilio Mazzoli Gallery, Modena, Italy
Mario Diacono Gallery, Rome, Italy
Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, NY
Blum/Helman Gallery, New York, NY
Marlborough Gallery, New York, NY
Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich, Switzerland
Fun Gallery, New York, NY
Galerie Delta, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
New New York, Florida State University Art Gallery, Tallahassee, FL; Metropolitan Museum and Art Centre, Coral Gables, FL
Body Language – Current Issues in Figuration, University Art Gallery, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
Avantgarde and Transavantgarde ’68 to ’77’ Aurelian Walls, Rome, Italy
Five Americans, Museu Civico, Modena, Italy
Drawings/Vision: New York’, Janus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Works on Paper, Larry Gagosian Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Fast, Alexander F Milliken Gallery, New York, NY
Documneta 7, Kassel, West Germany
The Expressionist Image: From Pollock to Today, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, NY
The Pressure to Paint, Marlborough Gallery, New York, NY
1981
Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, NY
Emilio Mazzoli Gallery, Modena, Italy
New York, New Wave, Institute for Art and Urban Resources, P.S.1, Long Island City, NY