Basquiat at the Movies!

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

Jean-Michel Basquiat is having a moment!

You may recall that I have featured multiple posts on Jean-Michel Basquiat right here on this very blog. I reviewed two books about Basquiat: one was the catalogue for the Writing the Future: Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation exhibition at the Boston MFA and the other was a graphic novel by Paolo Parisi. I also dedicated a post to Blondie’s “Rapture” video in which a very young Jean-Michel Basquiat plays a DJ.

I will discuss Jean-Michel Basquiat’s life and work further in my upcoming Zoom course – Modern Art Madness! vol. 2 – which I am offering on Tuesday evenings this August. In that course, we will explore the NYC art world of the 1970’s and 1980’s as graffiti art transforms the art-making and art-viewing experience. We will also discuss Andy Warhol and Keith Haring in that session.

And of course, there’s always the discourse on Basquiat’s influence on pop culture, as can be seen further in my post Basquiat at Tiffany’s? from September of last year.

A JMB inspired hoodie at Target.
Tiffany’s Fall 2021 ad campaign featuring “Equals Pi” by JMB.

We are only a few weeks into 2022 and already two Jean-Michel Basquiat biopics have been announced!

“Samo Lives” will star Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Basquiat with Julius Onah set to direct. This will be the first film about the artist helmed by a black director. “The Collaboration” is a stage play written by Anthony McCarten that opens February 23, 2022 in London. Jeremy Pope takes on the role of Basquiat, while Andy Warhol is played by Paul Bettany. Both actors are set to reprise their roles in the film version that will begin production later this year.

What is it about the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat that has Hollywood clamoring to tell his story? And why now? I would love to hear your thoughts, so I encourage you to share them at the end of this post!

For more information on “Samo Lives,” please visit…

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a38677616/jean-michele-basquiat-biopic-samo-lives/

Be sure to check out this site, too..

https://samolives.com/

For more information on “The Collaboration,” please visit…

https://www.imdb.com/news/ni63522652

To learn more about my upcoming Zoom course – Modern Art Madness! vol. 2 – please visit…

2022 Zoom Course Schedule

One thought on “Basquiat at the Movies!”

  1. 21st Century historians & writers telling story of Basquiat and Basquiat/Warhol relationship may reveal the facts about the men and their art which is important to each man’s identity & his art. To date people only know the media and ART PR hype created to promote them for $. Would ART of Basquiat and Warhol be great & why if no one purchased their ART? Hope this is answered in movies & play!

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The Wandering Art Historian's avatar
I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.