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(© Evelyn Hofer/Getty Images). On page 15, the 1982 painting Red
On page 13, a portrait of the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1985

the New York Times Magazine. He doesn’t was a fatal heroin overdose. He didn’t even stakable crown signature of the Park Slope Skull, exhibited in London in 2017 (© Jack Taylor/Getty Images)
have to look at the star system from the out- make it to twenty-eight years of age. artist, thereby emphasizing its glocal, lo-
side: he is part of it now. Michael Wines wrote about him in the cal and global nature. Basketball becomes
“Since I was seventeen,” he said, “I New York Times: “Jean-Michel Basquiat was “Basquiatball.”
thought I might be a star. I’d think about all the most famous of only a small number of And his success continues to this very
my heroes, Charlie Parker, Jimi Hendrix… I young black artists who have achieved na- day. His paintings are coveted gems sought
had a romantic feeling of how people beca- tional recognition. Art experts have called after by collectors. His relationship with
me famous.” And unfortunately, like Par- his death a personal tragedy and a major money was very unusual when he was still
ker and Hendrix, Morrison, Schiele, and loss to the art world.” alive; he used to leave the house with wrin-
many others, he also left us too soon. His story featured in the 1996 movie kled wads of cash stuffed in his pockets. But
Everything starts coming apart and, in Basquiat directed by Julian Schnabel, star- these days his paintings sell for extremely
a few years, it all ends. ring Jeffrey Wright, Benicio del Toro, David high prices.
The artistic partnership with Warhol Bowie, Gary Oldman, and Willem Dafoe. His painting Untitled from 1982 sold
unravels, the abuses and excesses get the The artist had also played himself in Down- for 110 million dollars in 2017. A year ago,
better of the gorgeous brilliant and fragile town 81, a documentary made by Edo Ber- American businessman Ken Griffin bought
man, who loved wearing beautiful, expen- toglio between 1980 and 1981. the 1982 painting Boy and Dog in a John-
sive designer suits splattered in paint from Basquiat represented one of the city’s nypump from art collector Peter Brant for
making his art. souls, and the city continues to honor him 100 million dollars.
“I don’t think about art while I work,” more than three decades after his death. “He’s afraid he’s just going to be a flash
he often said, “I try to think about life.” A The Brooklyn Nets (one of the stron- in the pan,” wrote Andy Warhol in his Dia-
life too short. gest teams in the NBA) celebrated Basquiat ries referring to Basquiat. “I told him not to
His heart will stop beating at his home in their 2020-2021 City Edition uniform. It worry. He wouldn’t be.”
on Great Jones Street on August 12, 1988. It featured graphic elements and the unmi- He was right.

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