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March 11, 2006- May 13, 2006
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Van De Weghe
521 W 23rd StOn March 11 Van de Weghe Fine Art will open an exhibition of paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat. Among the most important American artists of the 20th century, Basquiat began his career circa 1980 at the age of 19. A self-taught East Village graffiti artist who quickly became a superstar of the artworld, his story was chronicled and made more famous yet by fellow 80s artist, Julian Schnabel, in his 1996 film Basquiat. The fame and infamy surrounding Basquiat does not obscure or detract from the raw strength and historical significance of the work itself, however. In spite of the artist’s death in 1988, he was extremely prolific and there is a seemingly endless depth and breadth to his output. His work is intensely charged on the one hand by strong color and rich gesture and on the other by an extraordinarily rich lexicon of iconography and symbol, an expressionist sensibility matched with Pop intellect.
This show is organized around paintings in which heads figure prominently. Heads are among the most significant themes in Basquiat’s work. Sometimes signifying a portrait of one of the artist’s heroes, other times referencing Christ or the Devil, at other times the head signifies an anonymous doppelgänger for the everyman or a portrait of the artist himself. Most of the works in the exhibition date from 1982, the artist’s most prolific year during which he made over 200 paintings. The show includes several paintings from this year made of painted canvas, sometimes collaged with drawing or color Xerox, mounted on visible, tied wood supports instead of the conventional stretcher. Basquiat’s beginnings were the street and a can of spray paint; even when he had achieved success sufficient to afford conventional materials, he painted on wood doors, clapboard siding or “home-made” stretchers; each support asserts itself and its history.
Heads embody the uncensored, spontaneous energy that pervades Basquiat’s work. Each confronts us with a narrative fraught with ambiguity that continues to fascinate us all, from the most sophisticated collector to the street artist Basquiat once was himself, so far reaching is his appeal. The gallery is pleased to be publishing a catalogue in conjunction with the exhibition, to be released May 2006.
The gallery will host a public reception on Saturday, March 11, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and by appointment. For further information, please contact the gallery.
Books and DVDs related to artists in this show
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