Jean Michel-Basquiat was a high school dropout. Free from the responsibilities of education, he became a graffiti artist, and, at seventeen years old, walked around and painted on the streets of New York. He created art by spray painting different surfaces in the city, and always signed his work as “SAMO,” meaning “same old shit,” as he had done since he met an important friend of his, Al Diaz.1 Since he hardly had any money, he sold his art on clothing items and postcards at a high price. The profits he received from selling his art were often spent on typical needs and drugs. Although they were making good money, the duo split up in 1979 and Michel-Basquiat met Keith Haring. Although he didn’t know it then, Haring would one day help him meet his hero.
One night in 1980, Michel-Basquiat got his first break when he got to take part in the Times Square Show that was organized by Keith Haring at Club 57, an institution that allowed young artists to show off their work. Within the same year, the young artist finally got the chance to meet the well-known Andy Warhol at the Factory in New York. Jean wanted nothing more than to meet his hero, and knew that he could find some popularity through Andy and his influence, as popularity is one of the most important things to consider for an artist.2 They finally met in the fall at Andy Warhol’s famous art studio, the Factory. Jean approached his idol and handed him his portfolio, which was filled to the brim with postcards brandishing the different artwork that he created. Luckily, Warhol took interest in the street artist, and decided to take Jean under his wing.
A few years go by and Andy finds himself intrigued by the contemporary art scene. As he continued to teach Michel-Basquiat everything he knew, he also advised his pupil to live healthy by helping him recover from his continued drug usage.3 Michel-Basquiat had been using heroin and cocaine before he met Warhol, and over time it was clearly beginning to get the best of him. Warhol took it as part of his duties as a teacher to assist the young artist in getting control of his life through a rejection of drugs. As time went on, the duo created a variety of works, most of which are paintings on walls and graffiti with different messages. Their famed “Heart Attack” painting, for instance, relies heavily on the idea of “mixed media,” and is one of the most well-known and professional examples of it. In the face of their climbing popularity, the two decided to host an exhibit in the Shafrazi Gallery in New York City. Despite their best efforts, however, their art failed to sell very well at the exhibition, as only one of their works was sold. As a result of this tragic outcome, Michel-Basquiat became emotionally unstable and began to doubt his own artistic ability. As he occupied his thoughts by dealing with the failure of the show, he was caught completely unprepared for what was to come next in his life.
On February 22, 1987, Andy Warhol went into cardiac arrest and was declared dead after an unsuccessful gall bladder surgery.4 Although many mourned the death of the great artist, there were perhaps none as negatively affected as Michel-Basquiat. Warhol was his mentor and idol, and his death came with deep psychological consequences to his well-being. Near the end of 1987, the young artist expressed his negative emotions in a work of art that had a violent message, and was openly critical of society. He started to struggle with motivation, and subsequently turned to heroin as a cure, relapsing into an activity that his mentor had previously tried so hard to help him overcome. He started to experience loneliness.5
In August 1998, Michel-Basquiat died at a young age via heroin overdose.6 Though he had a rough upbringing and bleak aspirations for the future, most of his artwork is well-known today, and hangs in places outside of New York and the United States. His story is undoubtedly one of persistence, courage, and tragedy, and it is for this reason that he will always be remembered as the Radiant Child or as his alter ego, SAMO.7
- Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History, 2006, s.v. “Basquiat, Jean-Michel” by Nathan Kernan. ↵
- The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Live, 1999, s.v. “Basquiat, Jean-Michel” by Kenneth T. Jackson, Karen Markoe, and Arnold Markoe. ↵
- In Activism and Reform, The Arts, Business and Industry, 2010, s.v. “Basquiat, Jean-Michel (1960-1988),” by UXL. ↵
- The Sixties in America Reference Library, 2005, s.v. “Warhol, Andy,” by Sara and Tom Pendergast. ↵
- Johnson William, “Pesos, Paparazzo, Pastry, Painting”, Film Quarterly 64, 2 (2010): 11. ↵
- Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice, 2007, s.v. “Basquiat, Jean-Michel” by Gary L. Anderson and Katherine G. Herr. ↵
- Javaka Steptoe, Radiant Child: the story of young artist Jean Michel Basquiat (New York: Brown and Company, 2016), 32. ↵
39 comments
Sydney Nieto
This article wasn’t what I had expected but it shows how harsh reality really is. I’ve never heard of Jean Michel-Basquiat but after reading this article I am interested to find some of his art pieces. It was sad how Andy Warhol death caused Michael to relapse into doing drugs again, but that would have been tough for anyone especially considering how close they were. If only they got to see how far their artwork has gone.
Dylan Vargas
Most of the time, I like any topic about art and I like things that go into some artwork so the story of Michel-Basquiat and Andy Warhol interests me. The start of Michel’s career and how he got introduced to Warhol is an interesting story and telling what happened after supports the fact of interest. It maybe is because of art but I love these two as people and their stories.
Kiana Contreras
What a heartbreaking article! It is interesting to read through it. Before reading this, I had no idea who Andy Warhol and Jean Michael-Basquiat were. They both sound like they had a click that went well for them, of course, not when they failed to sell their art. But regardless, they managed to get recognition even after they passed. I wondered how great these two could have been if they lived through the 2000s. Art has a significant impact on my life; I will have to check out more of their art. Great article.
Serenity Kamenski
I recently learned about Michel-Basquiat in my art class and found his artwork always inspirational and intriguing. Despite greatly admiring his art style, I still found his story to be sort of sad. Drug abuse can have its monumental effects on anyone at any given time, and it sucks to witness so many falling down that endless hole without anyone there to catch them. I knew Michel-Basquiat had greatly admired Warhol but didn’t know Warhol actually took him under his wing. It’s kind of always unique to see who in the art world know each other, since it always seems that artist have a connection in some way to one another.
Erick Velazquez
Hello Nelly! First of all, I want to just say you did a phenomenal job here. The story of Jean Michel Basquiat is most definitely a tragic one, from his early usage of drugs, to trying to better himself with the help of others, and eventually relapsing and feeling desolate; After reading more about his childhood, his upbringing was very traumatic but, through it all, he was able to find his passion and create wonderful art that many admire to this day. Something that caught my eye was the amount of impact his mentor had throughout his early adult life. He was able to guide him through his journey and the bumpy road that lied ahead. I have never heard of Andy Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat or Keith Haring, but I learned a lot from reading this well-written article.
Haik Tatevosyan
First off I really love how descriptive and detailed the article is for the reader to understand. I found this story to be very sad, drug abuse is something that nobody likes to see take down a brilliant mind. Its vital that people seek the proper help when needed before its too late because the consequences are tough.
Sara Alvirde
This story is so sad as he was such a talented artist. I love how symbolic and meaningful Michael-Basquiat’s art pieces have a lot of New York culture to them with the grafiti. It so sad to know his life ended at such a young age, I cannot believe the pain his friend might’ve felt from this but I know he was always there to support him with his success.
Savannah Palmer
It is heartbreaking to read that artist Michel-Basquiat struggled with drug use during this lifetime. Even though drugs are often used as a coping mechanism, it is important that drug abusers seek help and guidance during their hardships. The guidance that Basquiat received from Andy Warhol signifies the important role that mentors have on their mentee’s. This article reveals the true struggles that Basquiat experienced during his lifetime in an excellent way.
Nicolas Llosa
This article was really insightful. I had no idea Keith Haring introduced Basquiat to Andy Warhol. I know some things about Warhol and Haring, but not from Basquiat. Even though I had heard his name, I had no idea he worked with Haring and Warhol. It is sad to see how the death of Warhol made him end up the way he did, it is sad because I personally like his work and feel like he had a lot of potential. Overall this article was informative and taught me a little bit more about art.
Alicia Martinez
This article was very insightful to the challenging life of Michel-Basquiat. I am mostly unfamiliar with notable figures in art, so it was interesting to read about the troublesome yet creative lifestyle that these artists experienced to inspire their works of art. Although it was a tragic ending, the article was written in a way that did not let the story be overtaken with negativity, but by clarity of how the drug use and misfortunes allowed great art recognized throughout the decades.