BASQUIAT – I AM LEGEND

Graffiti artist turned legendary international artist. On 15 May 2007, An untitled work from him sold at Sotheby’s for $14.6 million. Incredible.

Jean-Michel Basquiat was born to a Puerto-rican mother and Haitian father on December 22, 1960. He died in 1988 due to use of mixed drugs in his Great Jones street/loft studio. His work is amazing, and even today you can still see his influence on modern day artists. If there was ever a rags to riches story before the likes of Jay-Z and others, it has to be Basquiat. He started as a graffiti artist who use to tag “SAMO” or “SAMO Shit” (Same ol’ shit) all over buildings in Lower Manhattan and grew to a successful artist hanging out with the likes of Andy Warhol and David Bowie, and even dated Madonna before she was Madonna. He personified the art scene of the 80s with its drug use, youth culture, sex and money. As much as I would like to give you a full history on him, Wikipedia has done a much better and complete biography, and you can read it here. There was also a movie that came out about his life, appropriately titled BASQUIAT.

Some of his work and pictures below.

On that note, we will be dropping a Basquiat tribute t-shirt as part of our “Under The Influence” Fall Collection. Check back for a post with pics of the shirt. This shirt will also be part of our “I am Legend” Collection where we will drop a t-shirt every season, paying tribute to somebody great that has influenced us in some way. They will all be collectors items and limited, never to be re-produced again. So I’ll advise you to get your hands on one when we drop em.

by Scrills