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Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Bruno Bischofberger and Fransesco Clemente, New York, 1984. Photo by Galerie Bruno Bischofberger.

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat was born on Thursday, December 22, 1960, in Brooklyn, New York, following the tragic death of his older brother, Max. Jean-Michel Basquiat was the second of four children born to his parents. He was a mysterious figure from the 1980s contemporary art scene.

Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent who created many mysteries and interesting facts. He was a game changer in the worlds of art and music with his Graffiti, street art, and primitivism style of art featuring the Neo-impressionism Movement.

He joined the Brooklyn Museum when he was six years old, inspired by his mother.
Since his childhood, his mother has taken him to art museums to encourage his artistic talent.

1. Jean-Michel Basquiat, left his parents’ home when he was 17 years old

Portrait of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Photo by Miguel Rodez. Wikimedia Commons

Jean-Michel Basquiat moved to Lower Manhattan from Brooklyn when he was seventeen years old. This was due to his father’s rejection after dropping out of school. He survived by temporarily crashing at friends’ houses or living on the streets with winos and druggies. With time, he made a living by selling t-shirts and homemade postcards.

2. He spent a year at Larry Gagosian’s house

He worked in a basement-like setting. His paintings were displayed at the Gagosian Gallery in West Hollywood. At the time, he was in a relationship with Madonna, and she lived with them for a few months.

3. He was hit by a car, causing serious internal injuries

His mother gave him a medical book, Gray’s Anatomy, to distract him while he was in the hospital, which later inspired the name of his band Gray. More importantly, this book was a success.

Major reference in his artistic work, as his style was defined by anatomical language symbols and imagery.

4. Basquiat left behind a legacy

Jean-Michel Basquiat. Photo by Galerie Bruno Bischof.

“I’m not a real person,” Basquiat once said. “I’m a legend,” he said, and it appears that he is correct in some ways. His distinct artistic style and fascinating life have become part of modern American pop culture. In his song “Picasso Baby,” rap music mogul and fellow Brooklynite Jay-Z famously compared himself to Basquiat, saying, “It ain’t hard to tell, I’m the new Jean-Michel.”

Although he died young, Basquiat’s name lives on as a member of the infamous 27 Club, which includes Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse, all of whom died at the age of 27. Basquiat’s work is now housed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

5. Basquiat was born in Brooklyn

Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn, NY, USA. Photo by Josh Miller.

Basquiat was born in Brooklyn on December 22, 1960, and grew up in a multicultural family. His father, Gerard, was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and his mother, Matilde, was born in New York but had Puerto Rican ancestry.

Basquiat spoke English, Spanish, and French, and his upbringing influenced much of his work and life.

6. Jean-Michel Basquiat dropped out of high school

Basquiat dropped out of high school when he was 17 years old. His father kicked him out of the house in response to such a decision, during which time he lived with friends and panhandled on the streets.

He’d sell sweatshirts and painted over postcards while subsisting on cheap red wine and Cheetos. His experiences on the streets undoubtedly influenced his interest in graffiti. He first gained notoriety for his graffiti tag “SAMO,” which stands for “same-old shit” and was created by Basquiat and his high school friend Al Diaz.

7. His painting broke the record for the most expensive American artwork ever sold at an auction

The Brooklyn Museum. Photo by ajay_suresh.

The Brooklyn Museum hosted an exhibit called “One Basquiat” in 2018 that was entirely dedicated to a single painting. Untitled sold for $110.5 million to Japanese art collector Yusaku Maezawa at a Sotheby’s auction in 2017.

Untitled is considered to be a self-portrait. The painting alludes to African masks, with the skull figure representing death and lifelessness with contradictory vibrant colours, possibly depicting Basquiat’s two sides.

8. Basquiat was a dynamic artist

Basquiat Still Fly at 55. Photo by BrillLyle.

Basquiat was more than just a graffiti artist and painter. Throughout his career, he experimented with various art forms. Starting in 1979, Basquiat was a regular on Glenn O’Brien’s public access television show TV Party, and two years later, he played an artist similar to himself in the film Downtown ’81.

In the music industry, Basquiat co-produced the rap record Beat Bop with Rammellzee and K Robb in 1983. He also designed the album’s cover. Not only that he also appeared in Blondie’s Rapture music video, as lead singer Debbie Harry was an early supporter of Basquiat’s work.

9. Andy Warhol was Basquiat’s lifelong friend and mentor

Andy Warhol. Photo from

The two artists met in 1981 at Mr. Chow’s, a city late-night hangout. From 1983 to 1985, the two worked together, with Basquiat painting graffiti over Warhol’s pop prints. Basquiat’s life was depicted in a 1996 biopic directed by Julian Schnabel and starring Jeffrey Wright as Basquiat and David Bowie as Warhol.

10. Basquiat died as a result of an accidental drug overdose

Grave of Jean-Michel Basquiat at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York. Photo by Lthomas2.

Basquiat lavishly spent his money, purchasing Armani suits and painting over them, throwing hundred-dollar bills out the window, and drinking only the finest wines in the most opulent hotels.

Despite his attempts at sobriety, Basquiat died of a heroin overdose on August 12, 1988, at the age of 27 at his home on Great Jones Street in Manhattan.
His girlfriend Kelle Inman discovered him unresponsive in his bedroom and took him to Cabrini Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Basquiat is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.