Jean-Michel Basquiat: Now’s the Time
07.03.2015 - 11.01.2015
Jean-Michel Basquiat (b. 1960–d. 1988) was one of the most revolutionary artists of the 1980s. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Basquiat possessed intelligence and artistic skills, which his mother encouraged since he was very young.
His fame grew with exhibitions throughout North America and Europe, and he quickly became a prolific artist and a cultural celebrity. Whenever he had visitors in his studio or at home, he would paint as they talked, listened to music, or watched television, using the ideas around him as inspiration for his art.
Basquiat broke new ground in contemporary art. His innovative artistic approach continues to inspire artists and raise critical questions today. In a single painting he would reference a number of ideas through symbols, images, or text, which would sometimes have direct relationships, and sometimes would not. Basquiat translated his environment onto the canvas without defined narratives, challenging viewers to think critically about the world around them.
Jean-Michel Basquiat: Now’s the Time explores the themes of Basquiat’s groundbreaking art and features some 100 paintings and drawings.
Organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario, in collaboration with the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Man from Naples, 1982
Acrylic and collage on wood
122 x 244.5 cm
Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa
© The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat
The Exhibition
Jean‐Michel Basquiat
Number 4, 1981
Acrylic, oilstick, and paper collage on canvas
167 x 137 cm
Collection Andre Sakhai, Courtesy Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York
Photo by Jason Wyche
© Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York
Jean-Michel Basquiat
The Ring, 1981
Acrylic on canvas
152.4 x 121.9 cm
Private Collection, Courtesy Acquavella Galleries
© Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Irony of a Negro Policeman, 1981
Acrylic on canvas
183 x 122 cm
Private Collection
© Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Self-Portrait, 1983
Acrylic on paper on board
91.5 x 61 cm
Collection Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris-Salzburg
© Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Six Crimee, 1982
Acrylic and oil paintstick on Masonite
Three panels
183 x 366 x 2.5 cm overall
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the Scott D.F. Spiegel Collection
© Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Acrylic and oil pastel on paper mounted on canvas
152.4 x 152.4 x 4.5 cm
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Gift of Ira Young
© Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York
Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol
Win $ 1´000´000, 1984
Acrylic on canvas
170 x 288.5 cm
Collection Bischofberger, Switzerland
© Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Eroica, 1987
Acrylic, oil stick and Xerox collage on paper mounted on canvas
228.5 x 271.5 cm
Private Collection
© Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York
Artist
Basquiat, Jean-Michel
Brooklyn, New York, 1960 | New York, 1988