#kingpleasure

Even though there's always going to be a certain reverance surrounding Basquiat - this institutionalized name in the art world, this lone black artist of Puerto Rican × Haitian roots, don't think I've not mumbled and uttered in a lil' disdain (sometimes even disgust) through so many instances, "isn't there any other damn black or just-as-cool artist y'all know or identify with?" See, my theme in life's always been 'VARIETY'. Hence, ...is the spice of life!

But being invited to this exhibit -- one curated by his family, particularly his sisters Jeanine and Lisane, I had to fall back, like many. With over 200 never-before-seen works of his exhibited, that's not what only blew me/us away, including some of the most highly acclaimed art curators themselves in attendance. It's the family's intimate, retrospective touch that made even the most naysayer-types, loosen their tight. Shut-up those typical rotating, annoyingly arrogant critiques, real quick. Suddenly, every eye in the space (btw given a few touches by renowned British-Ghanaian architect, Sir David Adjaye) within the Starrett-Lehigh Bldg, humbled to the same level of amazement and awe. I'd go back in a heartbeat. For first-timers curating his works in an exhibit, the Basquiat family did Jean-Michel proud.

Encapsulated were his studio settings, the Basquiat family's living room and even his nightlife -- the lifestyle of 80s NYC, the downtown scene, especially where Jean-Michel partied at The Palladium. Some would remember that it was his art that graced the backdrop to their massive bar. Go. And feel it...

Look, but you can't touch this...

His painting (still) says a thousand words.

🕊#ArtIsAWeapon

Remembering the great Jean-Michel Basquiat on what would have been his 65th B'earthday (born December 22, 1960). This beautiful tribute is from his sisters Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, who curated the phenomenal, landmark exhibit "Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure," which ran in NYC in 2022 and LA in 2023.

🎥✍️🏾reposted from @basquiatofficial Every year, this day brings you close again, not as an icon, not as the legend the world sees, but as our brother.

We think of your laugh, the way you filled a room with curiosity, the sketches you left on every scrap of paper, the sparks that flew from you even on your quietest days.

We remember the kid who asked big questions, the young man who chased ideas faster than anyone could keep up, and the brother who loved us in ways that were unmistakable, even when life was moving too fast.

You’re everywhere now, in museums, in classrooms, in the imaginations of people you never met. But to us, you’re still the person we grew up with, the one we teased, protected, admired, and rooted for.

We miss you every day, and carry you with us in all that we do, as your spirit continues to move the world.

With all our love,

Lisane & Jeanine

—-

JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT: KING PLEASURE® EXHIBIT 🖼️🎨🧑‍🎨

@basquiatkingpleasure @basquiatofficial