basquiat preview
time magazine (via archinect) reviews the brooklyn museum's basquiat retrospective, asking what its relevancy is to us today. why include this in a blog about LA? well, read now, see later - the show moves to the museum of contemporary art in july.
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Untitled
1984
Acrylic and mixed media on canvas
81 x 69 14/4 inches
The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Collection, Los Angeles
posted by marissa @ 3:18 PM
1 Comments:
I just came back from seeing the show of Basquiat's work in L.A.
He's definitely the greatest African-American visual artist this country has ever allowed, vastly deeper and more exciting than, say, Romare Bearden.
His work is so exciting and the Afro-Carribean and hip-hop influence, added to his great ability to absorb Euro-American artistic influences, jazz and everything else he came across is astonishing.
His work is like a blast of fresh air. Although he lived a fast life, his 'energy' is nothing like the flaccid cynicism of Schnabel, Fischl, Clemente, Sherman, Salle or any of ther other well known NY artists of his era.
He comes closest to Keith Harin - but is much, much more powerful. I have been studying and making art for over 30 years mostly in the Bay Area, and to see his work in profusion and for the first time in the flesh is a revelation.
Dying so young, at 27, perhaps he is not a great artist, I'm not yet sure, but he's damn close!!!
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