“I start a picture and I finish it. I don’t think about art while I work. I try to think about life.”
— Jean-Michel Basquiat
With his expeditious rise to fame and his equally as rapid downfall, Jean-Michel Basquiat solidified his rank among the myriad of legends who were celebrated in the public eye, and whose untimely deaths rocked the foundation of their generations. Born in Brooklyn, Basquiat's popularity initially rose with SAMO, a graffiti group that decorated the streets of Lower East Side of Manhattan in the 1970s, and eventually exhibited his neo-expressionist paintings in galleries across the world in the 1980s. His enigmatic, abstract paintings featuring primarily black people led him to be one of the most celebrated artists of all time. His art is unlike anything I've ever seen, and its always resonated with me, making him one of my favorite artists of all time. While being able to own one of his pieces would be ideal, because I'm a college student on a budget, and because quite a few of his paintings have been sold for over 30-million dollars, I've come to the conclusion that I won't be purchasing any authentic Basquiat pieces anytime soon. But if I one day did posses the funds to acquire them, here are 10 of my favorite pieces that I would buy immediately.
1. Irony Of the Negro Policeman (1981)
2. Bird On Money (1981)
3. Untitled: Origin Of Cotton (1981)
4. Undiscovered Genius of the Mississippi Delta (1983)
5. God, Law (1981)
6. Boxer Rebellion (1983)
7. Untitled: Head (1981)
8. Pez Dispenser (1984)
9. Untitled: Crown (1982)
10. Self Portrait (1982)
Runner-Up: Evil Thoughts (1982)
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