Jean-Michel Basquiat and his "Superheroes"
In honour of what would be Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 62nd birthday, we’re celebrating his life and artworks alongside showcasing our own editions of his latest “Superheroes” release.
Basquiat, while renting his studio from Andy Warhol, completed his series of “Superheroes” towards the end of his sadly short life. His huge body of work during is lifetime are still some of the most popular pieces of contemporary art on the market. For example, the original of our “Flash In Naples” limited edition (below) smashed it’s estimated auction record of $14-18 million, hammering down at $19.8 million.
Flash In Naples, 1982-1987/2022, limited edition hand-pulled screenprint on paper
Basquiat’s appreciation for comic books heavily influenced a remarkable body of his work, with him as a child often scribbling cartoon characters on his fathers accounting paper. Throughout his childhood he struggled with creating perfectly anatomical drawings. He instead based himself in abstract impressionism. He found that conventional art often outperformed him in younger competitions, his artwork was seen to have too much of an “ugly edge”. Yet it was this witty edge and ugliness that projected him to fame, making his art style so distinctive that it is now one of the most recognisable on the market.
The “Superheroes” series; released in 2022 by Flat Iron Editions
Riddle Me This, A Panel of Experts, Piano Lesson, and Flash In Naples (1982-87/2022); a portfolio of four hand-pulled limited edition screenprints
The portfolio, in an edition of 85, is curated from works created between 1982-87, themed around the influence of comics in Basquiat’s work. The artist’s renditions of super hero images and pop culture icons appear throughout the works, including a bat logo, two characters fist-fighting, and a super hero-like figure accompanied by the word “KRAK” (in classic comic book onomatopoeic style). Such images and themes are repeated throughout his œuvre.
As a young child Basquiat had aspired to be a cartoonist and incorporated cartoon-like figures in some of his early drawings. The mature works in this portfolio are prime examples of this influence, also containing several archetypal Basquiat stylistic concepts: the organization of seemingly disparate ideas, the sequencing of images, concepts and texts, deep interest in art and popular culture, and the creation of slogans, repeated and crossed out text and enigmatic references to strength and power.
The posthumous release is stamped and signed by Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, the artist’s sisters and administrators of the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Riddle Me This, 1982-1987/2022, limited edition hand-pulled screenprint on paper
“If you wanna talk about influence, man, then you’ve got to realize that influence is not influence. It’s simply someone’s idea going through my new mind.”
The characteristic graffiti influence came from his high school days in City-as-school in New York. This is where he met his earliest collaborator and graffiti artist Al Diaz, from the Jacob Riis Projects on the Lower East Side. Basquiat’s fixation with stardom and “burning out” was a recurring subject of his Life. Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, both whose artistic achievement and works he admired, died of drug overdose at twenty-seven. This admiration was reflected in many of his paintings.
Basquiat’s influence didn’t stop just at the contemporary art market, but also other contemporaries such as Andy Warhol and Banksy.
Andy Warhol and Basquiat’s relationship in the studio
The six-year friendship between Warhol and Basquiat is one of most legendary relationships in contemporary art history. Known to be complex and turbulent at times, the mutual respect and admiration that each artist shared for one another inspired iconic bodies of work. The friendship represents a fleeting moment when two of the most revolutionary artistic minds of the 20th century found a fruitful common ground.
“It was like some crazy-art world marriage and they were the odd couple. The relationship was symbiotic. Jean-Michel thought he needed Andy’s fame, and Andy thought he needed Jean-Michel’s new blood. Jean-Michel gave Andy a rebellious image again.
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Banksy’s homage to Basquiat with his 2019 print release entitled ‘Banksquiat’
Banksy has paid homage to Basquiat on numerous occasions throughout his career. The Street Artist created two wall murals at the Barbican Centre in central London inspired by the largest Basquiat exhibition ever mounted in the UK entitled ‘Boom for Real’ in 2017.
In 2019, Banksy released a series of limited edition prints via his brand ‘Gross Domestic Product’ - one of which was clear tribute to Basquiat…
Banksy’s 'Banksquiat’ (above), depicts a Ferris wheel in which all the carriages have been replaced by Basquiat’s famous crown motif. In this iconic image, Banksy offers a mirror to his own practice of appropriation as well as that of the endless wheel of capitalism and consumerism in which masterpieces are massively reproduced on tee shirts or rehashed for advertising campaigns.
“A print made in homage to New York post-graffiti pioneer Jean-Michel Basquiat. In which Banksy is cleverly questioning the relentless commodification of Basquiat in recent times - by crassly adding to the relentless commodification of Basquiat in recent times. Two different papers - black and grey board.”
Basquiat’s iconic paintings make him one of the most famous artists of the 20th century. The immediacy and intellectual depth of his paintings won him widespread acclaim both before and after his untimely death at the age of 27. Basquiat’s paintings now belong in permanent collections of museums, galleries and collectors across the globe and will continue to influence creatives for generations.
Come and view our collection of prints by the iconic Jean-Michel Basquiat at Extraordinary Objects Gallery.
14 Green St Cambridge. Open Weds - Sun 12-5 PM. Mon-Tues Appointment only.
Contact us at info@extraordinary-objects.co.uk for further information