Basquiat exhibition review, Barbican ★★★★★
In this phenomenal retrospective, the late New York artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat, finally got the recognition he deserves
Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jennifer Stein, Anti-Baseball Card Product, 1979. Courtesy Jennifer Von Holstein.©Jennifer Von Holstein and The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York
Drawing an estimated 215,000 visitors over its five month run, Boom for Real is the most successful exhibition to ever have been staged at the Barbican. Boom for Real, now transfers to Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt: tickets are on sale but selling fast.
Jean-Michel Basquiat is a high-school drop out turned art world prodigy. Young, black, gorgeous and charismatic, Basquiat traded his downtown underground scene for uptown gallery cognoscenti. He became a sensation; the most celebrated painter of the ‘80s, until his death at the age of 27.
At long last, this prolific artist gets his first ever UK retrospective at the Barbican. Basquiat: Boom For Real is a big, big deal. Thankfully, the exhibition is as good as anticipated.
Simultaneously decoding the Basquiat myth and the Basquiat lexicon, the exhibition exposes the artist’s split identity – Jean-Michel the man, and Basquiat the artist. Upstairs we are introduced to Jean-Michel's world – his friendships, his early works, his favourite places. Downstairs we discover the cultures, the people and the artists that inspired him. Given the divided self is a recurring thematic in Basquiat’s work, it seems an apt curatorial layout for the show.
A SAMO© Graffito
A far cry from the minimalism of the day, Basquiat's works were lurid, deranged and executed with childlike verve. He foregrounded the ordeals and traumas experienced by black people in America. In his work, Basquiat confronts questions of race, human rights, and the creation of power and wealth, while referencing his own heritage, black hero worship, anatomy, and death. His work is complex, aggressive, and, at times, brutal.
In Hollywood Africans, 1983 – incidentally one of the most striking oil paintings on display upstairs – Basquiat brazenly confronts the inescapable racism still plaguing America and, in particular, the American film industry at that time. In this powerful portrait, Basquiat, alongside fellow artist-musicians Toxic and Rammellzee, is engulfed by racist slurs used to describe Afro-Americans.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Detail of Hollywood Africans, 1983. Courtesy Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. © The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat/ Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ ADAGP, Paris.Licensed by Artestar, New York
Scribbled in blood red, the words ‘Hollywood Africans’ jump out at you. ‘Gangsterism’, 'Sugar Cane' and 'Tobacco' follow suit. Elsewhere in his works, we see ‘slavery’, ‘toxic’ and ‘cannibalism’ scorched menacingly into the canvas. His scrawls, far from child-like nonsensical scribbles, trace the African-American trajectory in America.
Despite Basquiat’s loaded socio-political references, it’s easy in these strong scrawled marks to overlook Basquiat’s sophistication. This is what downstairs is all about. Basquiat’s work, soaked with a complex encyclopedia of references – from early cinema and black cultural history to Greek mythology and the works of Renaissance Masters including Rembrandt and Leonardo – is broken down. His references to his present and past are explored in detail. The text panels and labels are dense but illuminating. It all starts to make sense.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled, 1982 Courtesy Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam. © The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York. Photo: Studio Tromp, Rotterdam
But like many such mighty talents in the art world and beyond, Basquiat’s rise was giddying, glamourous, and cruelly cut short. Life in New York’s fast lane caught up with him. Basquiat died of a heroin overdose in 1988.
At just 27, Basquiat’s artistic trajectory was yet to peak. In this exhibition, we see a man in his prime. Still youthful, dissident and controversially political, Basquiat’s work vibrates with energy. But, wandering around the relics of a lost life, it’s almost impossible not to wonder what could have been?
Mythical genius or not, Boom for Real is the most discerning and sensitive retrospective of Basquait’s work to date.
Due to high demand, the exhibition will be open late throughout January. Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 10pm, Sunday and Monday 10am - 6pm (except Tuesday 9 January). Advanced booking essential.
Jean-Michel Basquiat is a high-school drop out turned art world prodigy. Young, black, gorgeous and charismatic, Basquiat traded his downtown underground scene for uptown gallery cognoscenti. He became a sensation; the most celebrated painter of the ‘80s, until his death at the age of 27.
At long last, this prolific artist gets his first ever UK retrospective at the Barbican. Basquiat: Boom For Real is a big, big deal. Thankfully, the exhibition is as good as anticipated.
Simultaneously decoding the Basquiat myth and the Basquiat lexicon, the exhibition exposes the artist’s split identity – Jean-Michel the man, and Basquiat the artist. Upstairs we are introduced to Jean-Michel's world – his friendships, his early works, his favourite places. Downstairs we discover the cultures, the people and the artists that inspired him. Given the divided self is a recurring thematic in Basquiat’s work, it seems an apt curatorial layout for the show.
A SAMO© Graffito
A far cry from the minimalism of the day, Basquiat's works were lurid, deranged and executed with childlike verve. He foregrounded the ordeals and traumas experienced by black people in America. In his work, Basquiat confronts questions of race, human rights, and the creation of power and wealth, while referencing his own heritage, black hero worship, anatomy, and death. His work is complex, aggressive, and, at times, brutal.
In Hollywood Africans, 1983 – incidentally one of the most striking oil paintings on display upstairs – Basquiat brazenly confronts the inescapable racism still plaguing America and, in particular, the American film industry at that time. In this powerful portrait, Basquiat, alongside fellow artist-musicians Toxic and Rammellzee, is engulfed by racist slurs used to describe Afro-Americans.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Detail of Hollywood Africans, 1983. Courtesy Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. © The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat/ Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ ADAGP, Paris.Licensed by Artestar, New York
Scribbled in blood red, the words ‘Hollywood Africans’ jump out at you. ‘Gangsterism’, 'Sugar Cane' and 'Tobacco' follow suit. Elsewhere in his works, we see ‘slavery’, ‘toxic’ and ‘cannibalism’ scorched menacingly into the canvas. His scrawls, far from child-like nonsensical scribbles, trace the African-American trajectory in America.
Despite Basquiat’s loaded socio-political references, it’s easy in these strong scrawled marks to overlook Basquiat’s sophistication. This is what downstairs is all about. Basquiat’s work, soaked with a complex encyclopedia of references – from early cinema and black cultural history to Greek mythology and the works of Renaissance Masters including Rembrandt and Leonardo – is broken down. His references to his present and past are explored in detail. The text panels and labels are dense but illuminating. It all starts to make sense.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled, 1982 Courtesy Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam. © The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York. Photo: Studio Tromp, Rotterdam
But like many such mighty talents in the art world and beyond, Basquiat’s rise was giddying, glamourous, and cruelly cut short. Life in New York’s fast lane caught up with him. Basquiat died of a heroin overdose in 1988.
At just 27, Basquiat’s artistic trajectory was yet to peak. In this exhibition, we see a man in his prime. Still youthful, dissident and controversially political, Basquiat’s work vibrates with energy. But, wandering around the relics of a lost life, it’s almost impossible not to wonder what could have been?
Mythical genius or not, Boom for Real is the most discerning and sensitive retrospective of Basquait’s work to date.
Due to high demand, the exhibition will be open late throughout January. Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 10pm, Sunday and Monday 10am - 6pm (except Tuesday 9 January). Advanced booking essential.
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| What | Basquiat exhibition review, Barbican |
| Where | Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS | MAP |
| Nearest tube | Barbican (underground) |
| When |
21 Sep 17 – 28 Jan 18, Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 10pm, Sunday and Monday 10am - 6pm (except Tuesday 9 January). Advance booking essential |
| Price | £16, Concessions £12 |
| Website | Click here for more information |