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
Kayla Mendez
Despite Jean Michel Basquiat being an imprtant individual in Andy Warhol’s life, I’d never heard of him, and I’m sure others felt the same while reading this article. The truthfulness in the article is what caught my attention the most, since it explained the relationship blunty without any “fluffiness”. By this, I mean that Andy Warhol was not only an artistic mentor, but a mentor in life as well, for Michel-Basquiat lived a troubled life. Although both men left the world in a painful manner, at least the pair were able to create art together during happier times.
Estefanie Santiago Roman
This was an interesting article! In previous years I had done research on Andy Warhol for the same purpose of creating art, yet I hadn’t heard of Jean. It is sad to see that his life ended at a young age because of the abuse of drugs. It was also very sad to read about his focus of his failed art instead of focusing on the future. Over all this article was very informative and interesting to read.
Kennedy Arcos
This was a very well-written article. I didn’t really know anything about Andy or Michel before reading this. I love art and I think that it is truly something that can have an impact on anyone. I found it really inspiring how Andy took Michel under his wing and showed him how powerful art can be. He was a great mentor and it’s tragic that Michel ended up passing from drug overdose.
Sofia Almanzan
Great Article. I had never heard of Michel-Basquiat before reading this article so it was very informative. It is really sad that drugs are seen as par for the course for artists as so many of them are consumed by them. I also think that it is sad that for many artists their work doesn’t get recognized until after they’re dead.
Anthony Coronado
While I have taken humanities classes before no notable artist such as Andy Warhol. As experience his painting via the web and learning about what each of the painting represents. I do understand the motives that Andy Warhol perceived just through the knowledge of his paintings and as such as the events of those times, which makes him a notable humanitarian. While the article does have a tragic ending to it, it shows that both of these artists are lived on through the artworks that were brought into existence by these artists
Luis Jaen
This is such an interesting story, I have always loved Andy Warhol’s paintings and have never heard of Jean Michel-Basquiat. It is so unfortunate to hear that such a grand talent could not overcome an addiction, but it also sheds light to what is really going on in the world. There are stories like this all over the art industry, whether it is artwork or show business.This article not only shows the struggles modern artists take, but also how much a mentor can help someone who is not in the right place.
Shriji Lalji
It is so unfortunate to have an amazing artist lost to a drug overdose. However, for many creative people such as musicians and artists, it seem drugs play a significant role in their life. I am curious as to whether how it helps them in their craft, or it just serves as an escape from hardships. In Basquiat’s case however it was clearly a way to deal with the negatives of life. Although I personally wished that he would cary on the legacy of Andy Warhol through the skills he was taught.
Thalia Romo
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article because I was able to learn about someone new and due to it being so well-written. Jean Basquiat, by the looks of his artwork, seem to be a talented individual speaking his mind through his artwork. It must have been an amazing experience for Basquiat being able to meet his hero and inspiration, especially when he was taken under his wing. It saddens me to hear how Basquiat turned to drugs and was eventually lost by them. However, his artwork still lives on, just like his soul.
Charli Delmonico
This article was very well-written. I can’t believe that Michel-Basquiat went through so much hardship as a young man growing up. I’m glad that his idol became his mentor and eventually helped him stopped doing drugs, but that makes it much more tragic that his idol’s death made Michel-Basquiat feel that his only coping mechanism was to go back to the drugs that his mentor tried to help him quit.
Nicole Ortiz
I had known about Andy Warhol from studying him in my art classes during elementary school but i had not known about Jean Michel-Basquiat until reading this article. It was good to read that Jean was able to meet and work with his hero to develop a relationship with him. It must have been hard for him when Andy passed and its a shame that Jean died of an overdose. This was such a good article and very descriptive of the relationship that was developed between the two. Well done!