My first thought upon flipping through a volume of Jean-Michel Basquiat works from a 2005 exhibit in Brooklyn was, “This is Basquiat?” He has such an exotic and dignified name. I assumed someone with that name would paint idylls and classical portraits. I expected he would be famous because his creations were moving works of beauty. Someone named Basquiat might even be a French master.
For whatever reason, I’ve always had a soft spot for Basquiat, but I recognize how uncool it is to say these days.
It’s an interesting time for him, perhaps even a critical juncture as to whether he becomes (remains?) part of the art history canon. Basquiat works can sell for over $100 million, which is important in so far as commercial interests dictate what is remembered. However, it is increasingly out of fashion beyond the commercial realm with the entire neo-expressionist movement of which he is and was the biggest star (sorry Julian Schnabel) often and justifiably criticized for its hyper-masculinity and how it frequently falls back on the tired ‘artist as genius’ trope. The more time passes, the more curious the appeal of it becomes. Neo-expressionism—sandwiched between large-scale post-minimalist earth works of the ‘70s, roughly contemporaneous with the ascendancy of conceptual art, and on the cusp of the-soon-to-be-de-jure multimedia works—was an outmoded throwback from the moment it appeared. Certainly, that was part of its appeal. Conservative-leaning art critics could grasp at it as their style of choice (that or hyper-realism I suppose) and say, “Look! Painting is still a relevant form! Forget these installation artists, we have the second-comings of Pollock and de Kooning!” The most interesting / unique things about him are his teenage years (which make for great drama, little wonder they made a film about him) and origin as a graffiti artist, dovetailing as it does with that almost-always condescending interest certain art dealers and academics have in outsider art, even if Basquiat doesn’t neatly fit that narrative. Is that enough to keep current and future artists, critics, and scholars interested in him?
Most likely, Basquiat loses out in a generation or so. How can one go from, say, James Turrell - Basquiat - Damien Hirst? Even though I generally like his work, the middle-man seems badly out place.
Anyway, as an undergrad art history major who tries to keep up with contemporary art as best one can for someone not living in New York or engaged with the field and consequently rarely gets to discuss anything art related, thank you for the opportunity to write a probably poorly thought-out mini-screed about art on a Saturday night.
This is a very interesting read, and I say that as someone with no art background whatsoever (and certainly no knowledge of this particular artist). It’s also an excellent way to handle what I’m sure is a challenging review. I look forward to part 2!
You can blame me for this one. I submitted this for review. Partly because I like to find things for Tom to review that are a bit “out of bounds” of the typical QT3 subjects. And partly because Tom is an excellent and professional reviewer who can handle any subject with an eye towards intelligence and creativity.
I love Basquiat’s art; it inspired me to do my own paintings. I know his style is not for everyone. To me, looking at his art, I feel like I understand his time and place even though I didn’t live it. Like I can almost be swallowed up in some of the paintings and just exist for a while. Perhaps that’s a bit grandiose, but there it is.
I love Tom’s uninformed (but wonderful) opinion on it.
Looking forward to the informed opinion.
One of the more interesting notes for me is the size. When I saw the travelling Brooklyn Museum Show it’s very striking just how large some of these works are and thus how engulfing they became for me.
If I remember from the movie, Basquiat started as a graffiti artist. That certainly informs a lot of his style. I don’t know if any of his graffiti work has been preserved, but it would be interesting to see it compared to his more mature style.
I like those three pieces pretty well, @sandubogi! Especially the last one. He definitely does interesting stuff with language, and it’s particularly on display there.
Really loved this article Tom. It’s really interesting to see someone write about something so out of their comfort zone, and give it a fair shake. Kind of refreshing in a world where most things are just dismissed if they’re different than what you’re used to. I tend to do this myself.
PBS American Masters featured Basquiat last night. I likely would have skipped but for this piece. Thanks @tomchick for opening another door and @sandubogi for recommending this.
