JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT (1960 –1988) WAS ONE OF THE MOST FASCINATING AND CONTROVERSIAL PERSONALITIES IN THE ART WORLD. AFTER STARTING ON THE NEW YORK UNDERGROUND SCENE AS A GRAFFITI SPRAYER, MUSICIAN AND ACTOR, HE BEGAN TO DEVOTE HIMSELF TO PAINTING AT NINETEEN. HIS HIGHLY EXPRESSIVE, ENERGETIC WORK SOON FOUND WIDE ADMIRATION. SUPPORTED BY ANDY WARHOL, HE ADVANCED TO BECOME AN INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED STAR. HE WAS THE YOUNGEST DOCUMENTA PARTICIPANT EVER, AND EXHIBITED AT ART BASEL, THE VENICE BIENNALE, AND VARIOUS FAMOUS GALLERIES. THE SON OF IMMIGRANTS FROM THE CARIBBEAN, BASQUIAT BECAME THE FIRST BLACK ARTIST TO MAKE A HIGH-LEVEL BREAKTHROUGH. HE COLLABORATED WITH KIETH HARING, FRANCISCO CLEMENTE, DEBBIE HARRY AND MANY OTHER STARS. IN THE SPACE OF ONLY EIGHT YEARS, HE CREATED AN EXTENSIVE OEUVRE OF ABOUT 1000 PAINTINGS AND 2000 DRAWINGS BEFORE HIS TRAGIC DEATH AT THE AGE OF ONLY 27. TO MARK HIS 50th BIRTHDAY, THE FONDATION BEYELER IS DEVOTING A LARGE RETROSPECTIVE TO JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT, COMPRISING MORE THAN 100 PAINTINGS, WORKS ON PAPER AND OBJECTS FROM RENOWNED MUSEUMS AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS AROUND THE WORLD. HIS WORKS, POPULATED BY COMIC-LIKE FIGURES, SKELETAL SILHOUETTES, CURIOUS EVERYDAY OBJECTS AND POETIC SLOGANS, ARE HIGHLY COLOURFUL AND POWERFUL. THEY BLEND POP CULTURE AND CULTURAL HISTORY INTO CRITICAL AND IRONIC COMMENTARIES ON CONSUMER SOCIETY AND SOCIAL INJUSTICE. THE EXHIBITION BRINGS TOGETHER MANY OF BASQUIAT'S MAJOR WORKS AND ILLUSTRATES THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LEGENDARY ART SCENE STAR. THE EXHIBITION WAS CONCEIVED BY THE FONDATION BEYELER IN COLLABORATION WITH THE MUSEE D'ART MODERNE DE LA VILLE DE PARIS, WHERE IT WILL BE ON VIEW FROM 15.OCTOBER TO 30.JANUARY.2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment