basquiat beyeler

The art of Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) possesses the same intensity and energy that marked his brief life. The artist star died on August 12, 1988, at age 27, of a drug overdose. In the space of only eight years he had succeeded in creating an extensive oeuvre and introducing new figurative and expressive elements into contemporary art.

In only eight years time, he managed to create an extensive oeuvre, and – in contrast to early 80’s Conceptual and Minimal Art – introduced a new approach to figuration and expressiveness into American painting. Basquiat influenced the Neo-Expressionists and became a forerunner of art in the 90’s. His works, studded with skeletal silhouettes, masklike grimaces,pictographs and words, attacked consumer society, social injustice and racism, and they remain highly relevant and explosive to this day. On the occasion of his fiftieth birthday, the Fondation Beyeler is devoting the first large and comprehensive retrospective ever held in Europe to the renowned American painter and draftsman. Comprising over a hundred works, it traces Basquiat’s unique development and sheds light on his place in art history. The retrospective also allows a rediscovery and reevaluation of one of the most fascinating personalities in recent art. Basquiat’s friendship with Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Madonna is legendary. The exhibition, curated by Dieter Buchhart and Sam Keller, enjoys the support of the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat, New York.

FONDATION BEYELER Baselstrasse 101, CH-4125 Riehen / Basel, Switzerland www.fondationbeyeler.ch