Contemporary, post modernism & women in art（ Jean-Michel Basquiat)

Jean-Michel Basquiat was born in December 22, 1960. In his short life, Jean-Michel Basquiat was a pop icon, a cultural figure, a graffiti artist, a musician and a neo-expressionism painter. He was a precocious child who could read and write at the age of four. By the age of eleven, he was fluent in English, French and Spanish. When he was 15, he ran away from home and lived in Washington Square Park for less than a week before he was arrested and sent home to live with his father. He dropped out of school in the 10th grade, and his father kicked him out, leaving the young artist to live with friends, supporting himself by selling t shirts and homemade postcards

In the 1970s, Basquiat began painting buildings in the Lower Manhattan under the alias Samo, earning him notoriety and a reputation In 1979, he appeared on the television on the sow” TV Party”, and that same year, he formed a rock band called “Gray”, which played throughout New York. During this period, he also appeared in music video “Rapture” by Blondie.

By 1982, he was regularly presenting his workand had many high-profile friend ships, including a brief relationship with Madonna, a brief involvement with the musician David Bowie, and a long term collaboration with the artist Andy Warhol. He was wearing a $1,000 Armani suit and appeared in public with a splash of paint. In 1986, he appeared on the cover of the New York Times magazine.

Although Basquiat was a successful artist, he was addicted to heroin. When his friend Andy Warhol died in 1987, his addiction got worse. He became increasingly isolated and died of a heroin overdose in 1988. Posthumously, many exhibitions of his works have been held, and biopics, books, collections of poems and feature films have all been inspired by his work and life. 

resource: http://www.artnet.com/artists/jean-michel-basquiat/