Hand of 19-year-old Jean-Michel Basquiat 1980.
Jean Michel Basquiat is an icon for American
artistic genius.
Hailed the greatest Neo-Expressionist painter. References to his work abound around the world.
On the streets of lower Manhattan, he produced postcards and t-shirts before he ever sold a painting.
The artist's early NYC souvenir artwork attests to his perspective on African-American culture, pop culture and fine
art. Described by critic John Russell as proceeding "by disjunction - that
is, by making marks that seem quite unrelated but turn out to get on very well
together".
Basquiat's work is described as Primitive. The cards, such as this Graffiti tribute to iconic sports figure, feature playfulness of expression and allusion.
Antique souvenir postcard offered from Lost Subway Portfolio of the Graffiti writing teenager who went on to be one 20th century's most important painters.
Uncatalogued NYC Jackie Robinson souvenir postcard by Jean-Michel Basquiat, circa 1980, from Subway Collection as mentioned by Julian Schnabel in Dieter Burchhart's book entitled Jean-Michel Basquiat, publisher: Hatje Cantz 2010.
GRAFFITI CROWN POSTCARD
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988)
PROVENANCE:
The artist
Private collection 1980
The first African-American artist to attain art super-stardom,
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) created a huge oeuvre of drawings and
paintings.
Offered as BUY IT NOW! from portfolio of drawings left on subway car.
Through his street roots in Graffiti, Basquiat helped to
establish new possibilities for figurative and expressionistic painting,
breaking the white male stranglehold of Conceptual and Minimal art, and
foreshadowing, among other tendencies, Germany's Junge Wilde
movement. It was not only Basquiat's art but also the details of his
biography that made his name legendary--his early years as "SAMO" (his
graffiti artist moniker), his friendships with Andy Warhol, Keith Haring
and Madonna and his tragically early death from a heroin overdose.
Jean-Michel was
born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Puerto Rican mother and a Haitian
father--an ethnic mix that meant young Jean-Michel was fluent in French,
Spanish and English by the age of 11. In 1977, at the age of 17,
Basquiat took up graffiti, inscribing the landscape of downtown
Manhattan with his signature "SAMO". In 1980 he was included in the
landmark group exhibition The Times Square Show; the following
year, at the age of 21, Basquiat became the youngest artist ever to be
invited to Documenta.
By 1982, Basquiat had befriended Andy Warhol and eventually collaborated with him; Basquiat was much affected by Warhol's
death in 1987.
Jean-Michel died the next year on August 22, at the age of 27.
Basquiat Subway Art Case Collection of Various Works
HISTORY
American
author Kevin Doyle was friendly with Jean-Michel Basquiat in the late
70’s and mentored him on how to market his drawings, postcards and t-shirts.
Doyle helped Basquiat with money or advice and the artist sometimes
gave him drawings and postcards in return. One of those uncatalogued works (the globe) is quite well known.
In the early 80's, Doyle sought attention from the New York literary world using Basquiat's colorful artwork for agent query
In
1980, Basquiat and Doyle rode the subway together and the artist
departed the transit car one stop before the writer, leaving behind a
case full of unsold drawings and postcards. The event is mentioned by
Julian Schnabel in a book co-authored by Mr. Dieter Buchhart titled
Jean-Michele Basquiat. See three photos of "Art Care" portfolio case shown above.
Doyle made several attempts over the
course of 2 or 3 years to return the portfolio but never brought the
artist together with it again.
Basquiat achieved a high level of
fame after the subway ride with Doyle, and became disinterested in
Doyle's efforts to return the case and missed several appointments with
the writer.
The last time Kevin Doyle saw Basquiat, by
happenstance, in Greenwich Village, Jean-Michel told him to keep the
case and its contents.
Over the years the art case was left in
various homes owned by Doyle and recently removed from storage at his Newfane, Vermont home.