Sign of the Times: Jean-Michel Basquiat

By Dan Ahwa
Viva

Jean-Michel Basquiat, the famous American graffiti artist and painter who made a considerable impact in the art world during the early 1980s with his distinctive artwork influenced by pop art, hip-hop, comics and politics, continues to be a point of reference for designers across fashion and interiors.

A new exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum celebrates Basquiat the writer, with eight of his notebooks on display. Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks looks into the rarely seen documents of an artist whose love of the written word is evident through his poetry, wordplay and sketches, and how these translated to some some of his vibrant full-scale paintings.

A selection of paintings is also on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Canada in an exhibition entitled Jean-Michel Basquiat: Now's the Time to May 10.

Several of the artist's collaborations and influences have kept the memory of the artist alive, from ongoing collaborations with Kimono watches, Limoges porcelain and Uniqlo to inspiring local fashion label Salasai with its new winter 2015 collection.

What: Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks

Where: Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York

When: April 3-August 23, 2015

Pictured above:

1. Still from A Conversation with Basquiat, 2006. ©Tamra Davis. Courtesy of the artist. By permission of the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Photo: Jonathan Dorado, Brooklyn Museum.

2. Jean-Michel Basquiat. Untitled Notebook Page, 1980–81. Ink on ruled notebook paper. Collection of Larry Warsh. Copyright © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York. Photo: Sarah DeSantis, Brooklyn Museum.

3. Basquiat Limoges porcelain plates, $230, from Design 55.

4. Komono x Basquiat 'Museum Security' watch, $139.

5. Jean-Michel Basquiat catalogue, about $140, from Gagosian.com

6. NY Jumper, about $50, from Uniqlo.

7. Salasai 'Rosette' dress $355.

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