New York has been going crazy for graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat this year, and it doesn’t look as if things are going to calm down any time soon.
Hot on the heels of several exhibitions in the city’s museums and galleries dedicated to the dissident artist, who died in 1988, the renowned Guggenheim Museum near Central Park has now also opened a new show dedicated to him.
Basquiat’s graffiti-style paintings of the 1980s famously stirred up New York’s art scene.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is the painting “Defacement,” an exploration of black identity and a protest against police brutality after the death of artist Michael Stewart, originally painted on the wall of artist Keith Haring’s studio.
There are also further works by Basquiat, as well as other artists, who responded to Stewart’s death through their work. The show is open until November 6.
Basquiat, who was of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent, died at the age of 27 from a heroin overdose. He is one of the most posthumously successful artists of the 20th century.
His painting “Untitled” of a black skull on a blue background was auctioned in May 2017 for the record sum of US$110 million. He is known for the use of skulls in his work. – dpa
